Federal and LAPD agents arrest 10 in South Los Angeles human trafficking sting tied to ‘Operation Broken Blade’

Federal prosecutors and the Los Angeles Police Department announced the arrests of 10 people in a human-trafficking enforcement operation in South Los Angeles, according to coverage of the federal action by local outlets on July 2, 2026. The case, described as “Operation Broken Blade,” centered on allegations of sex trafficking involving both women and children, with investigators focused on activity along the Figueroa Corridor.

According to Fox 11 Los Angeles, federal and local officials unsealed a 65-count gang RICO indictment as part of the investigation and carried out the arrests in the same sweeping effort. The report said the case is the first human trafficking gang RICO prosecution brought in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California’s history, and it described the operation as a coordinated strike involving federal partners and LAPD.

Fox 11 Los Angeles reported that the alleged conduct occurred along a roughly 3.5-mile stretch of the Figueroa Corridor and identified a motel manager among those arrested, along with nine other defendants. The report also said authorities identified dozens of victims during the course of the investigation, though the number of victims and the full scope of alleged conduct were described as part of the prosecution narrative.

Zero Hedge, summarizing a separate report, said prosecutors characterized the targeted activity as involving exploitation of children and adults and said the operation marked the second large federal effort in the Figueroa Corridor area in less than a year. The Zero Hedge write-up also said the announcement included statements by the acting U.S. attorney overseeing the case, describing the arrests as the result of an investigation led by federal prosecutors together with local law enforcement.

The reported case is tied to gang-related criminal liability under the federal RICO statute, which allows prosecutors to charge participation in an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity. A RICO framework can also affect how prosecutors present related charges in a single indictment and how defendants may face coordinated counts tied to the alleged enterprise.

In related context, NBC Los Angeles reported in 2024 that law enforcement had a “Figueroa Corridor Human Trafficking Initiative” aimed at targeting sex traffickers who exploit girls along the corridor. That earlier reporting described a sustained enforcement focus on the same geographic corridor, which authorities have repeatedly presented as a hotspot for exploitation.

Further reporting by Fox 11 Los Angeles indicated that law enforcement had identified a network allegedly controlled by a violent street gang, the Hoover Criminal Gang, and said investigators were preparing for additional phases of enforcement. The details of any subsequent stages and the targets of further proceedings were described as unverified in the Fox 11 Los Angeles account, and the ultimate outcomes will depend on what defendants contest in court and what prosecutors prove at trial.