MacArthur Park is located in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)
Federal and local law enforcement agencies descended on MacArthur Park on Wednesday and carried out what they called a sweeping drug operation.
Prosecutors claimed it was an "open-air drug market."
Video from the scene showed numerous law enforcement vehicles at the scene and an unknown number of officers taking part in the operation, which closed multiple streets adjacent to the park near Wilshire Boulevard and Sixth Street.
Federal officials told reporters at the scene that nine search warrants were served, six of them in the MacArthur Park area.
Multiple businesses were targeted and roughly 18 people were arrested, officials said. The operation involved the Los Angeles Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
LAPD and DEA officials were expected to hold an afternoon news conference with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli to discuss the operation.
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