An early Wednesday morning raid in Southern California has netted 18 alleged members of a violent street gang involved in human trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, and drug trafficking in Los Angeles' infamous Figueroa Corridor. Dubbed "Operation Broken Blade," this unprecedented partnership between Los Angeles and Orange County law enforcement, the FBI, Homeland Security, and the IRS targeted several locations across South Los Angeles and Orange County that were hit simultaneously, resulting in the multiple arrests.
An early morning sweep across South Los Angeles and Orange County has dismantled a highly violent sex trafficking enterprise, leading to the indictment of 18 individuals.
The coordinated law enforcement action marks the second phase of "Operation Broken Blade," a multi-agency crackdown targeting handlers and gang members' exploitation operations.
Federal agencies, including the FBI, IRS, and the Department of Homeland Security, partnered with the LAPD SWAT team to execute simultaneous raids early Wednesday morning to prevent suspects from alerting one another.
The sweep targeted members of a South LA street gang known for committing extreme violence against anyone interfering with their financial enterprise.
Seventeen men and one woman face extensive federal charges, including sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, assault, robbery, and kidnapping.
Suspects identified in the indictment include individuals using gang monikers such as "Tommy Gunz," "Popkorn," and "Chop Em."
The IRS worked to dismantle the interconnected money-laundering by tracking hidden cash and manipulated occupancy records at a local motel. The alleged head of the trafficking ring was part of the arrests.
Prosecutors identified Mukeshkumar as the motel’s on-site manager and said he rented 90% of the rooms to men who paid to have sex with kids as young as 14. He allegedly got to pocket half of the proceeds.
The arrest was part of a sweeping federal takedown of the sex trafficking industry in LA that targeted pimps and human traffickers in an effort to thwart the illegal sex industry besieging the Figueroa Corridor.
Six members and associates of LA’s infamous Hoover Gang — along with Mukeshkumar — were among 10 defendants targeted in a federal indictment charging them with a series of crimes, including sex trafficking of children.
By 5 a.m. Wednesday, six suspects including Mukeshkumar had already been arrested in up to a dozen simultaneous raids conducted across LA and Orange County.
RedState has reported on the infamous Figueroa Corridor and how the soft-on-crime policies by former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón fueled the rampant increase in prostitution, drugs, and human trafficking.
Kash Patel Reveals Stunning FBI Crackdown: 7,200 Children Rescued, 3,400 Predators Nabbed
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. Pacific to give more details on how the operation was conducted and what the arrests netted.
We’re conducting a large operation this morning with @HSILosAngeles and @LAPDHQ targeting human trafficking in the Figueroa corridor, where girls as young as 14 are being sold for sex.
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) July 1, 2026
More details to come at our 9:30 a.m. press conference. https://t.co/mYC7ZthKe5
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