Federal Operation Broken Blade: Second Major Sweep Targets Hoover Gang's Control of LA's Figueroa Corridor Sex Trafficking Network

Federal authorities, in coordination with LAPD and other agencies, arrested 10 individuals on July 1, 2026 (with one additional arrest on June 29), unsealing a 65-count superseding indictment charging members and associates of the Hoover Criminal Gang (HCG) with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking of minors and adults through force, fraud, or coercion, drug trafficking, and money laundering. The operation, dubbed Phase Two of 'Operation Broken Blade,' alleges the gang controlled much of the sex trafficking and prostitution along South Los Angeles' Figueroa Corridor—known locally as 'The Blade'—from February 2021 through June 2026, identifying 51 alleged victims, many minors, runaways, or foster youth recruited via social media and exploited with violence and drugs. A key addition is the charging of motel manager Mukeshkumar Rambhai Ahir for depositing over $64,000 in trafficking proceeds while structuring transactions to evade reporting. This follows a 2025 Phase One indictment charging 11 HCG affiliates, including alleged leader Amaya Armstead, whose trial is set for March 2027; all have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors highlight the effort as disrupting one of LA's most persistent trafficking corridors, with separate indictments against three additional men in unrelated but connected cases. Broader context reveals the multi-agency push has now targeted 25 defendants over 11 months, exceeding the prior five years' trafficking charges combined, with potential Phase Three focusing on motel property owners. Mainstream outlets including the DOJ, LA Times, New York Times, and Guardian confirm the details, underscoring institutional action against organized exploitation in a high-visibility urban corridor.