Feds, LAPD Take Down Human Trafficking Ring in LA's Most Notorious Corridor

Members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Hoover Criminal Gang and the manager of a motel were among those arrested in the joint law enforcement operation known as Operation Broken Blade.

Rachel Acenas

Published: 7/1/2026, 4:34:13 PM EDT

Feds, LAPD Take Down Human Trafficking Ring in LA's Most Notorious Corridor — A police car with flashing lights in file photo. (The Canadian Press/AP/Matt Rourke)

Nine people were arrested Wednesday after federal agents conducted a large-scale raid of an alleged human trafficking ring in South Los Angeles, according to prosecutors.

Members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Hoover Criminal Gang and the manager of a motel were among those arrested in the joint law enforcement operation known as Operation Broken Blade.

Wednesday’s sweep marked the second major takedown along the Figueroa corridor in South Los Angeles, an area notoriously known for street prostitution.

In a post to X, First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli suggested the operation marks a big change in culture for the infamous human trafficking corridor.

"Figueroa Corridor residents have endured this horrific criminal behavior for far too long. This law enforcement operation is one step toward breaking the culture of criminality and perversion that has festered in the community," Essayli said.

According to a 65-count superseding indictment, the Hoovers gang allegedly maintained control over sex trafficking and prostitution activities in the Figueroa Corridor from February 2021 through June 2026.

The owner of Stadium Inn & Spas motel offered rooms to the gang members and financially benefited from their crimes, the indictment says.

The indictment also states that 51 victims were allegedly affected by the illegal activity. Girls as young as 14 years old were being sold for sex, according to prosecutors. Essayli revealed at a press conference that the young victims faced violence, intimidation, and punishment from their alleged perpetrators for failing to cooperate with their crimes.

Federal agents worked with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Los Angeles Homeland Security Investigations to take down the operation.

“By working hand in hand with our federal partners, we are doing far more than making arrests,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement. “We are dismantling the criminal enterprises that profit from human trafficking, rescuing victims, and reclaiming the Figueroa Corridor for the community that has always deserved better.”

The defendants face several charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, drug trafficking conspiracy, and concealment money laundering.

If convicted, some defendants would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and would face a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Last year, federal agents arrested 11 alleged members of the Hoover gang, charging them with racketeering conspiracy and other sex trafficking related crimes.

Those defendants charged last year have pleaded not guilty and are set to face trial on March 18, 2027.

A total of 25 people have been charged in connection with Operation Broken Blade to date, according to prosecutors.