Total of 9 defendants arrested during the operation near Figueroa Corridor.
Several people were arrested today across Southern California during an undercover operation targeting sex trafficking. The operation was near the motel, Stadium Inn & Spas, two blocks away from the Figueroa Corridor.
During the operation, the manager of the motel, Mukeshkumar Ahir, was detained. Ahir has been charged with financially benefiting from the Hoover Criminal Gang’s sex trafficking. Federal officials state that from September 2024 to January 2026, Ahir deposited $64,581 in proceeds that he knew derived from the gang’s sex trafficking of children and adults. The owners of the Stadium Inn & Spas were also arrested at their residences.
Credit: Curtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, 9 defendants were arrested today, 6 members of the Los Angeles-based Hoover Criminal Gang.
The arrests are part of a broader federal investigation into alleged sex trafficking in South Los Angeles. Federal prosecutors allege a 65-count superseding indictment identifies 51 victims and says members and associates of the Hoover Criminal Gang controlled sex trafficking and prostitution in South Los Angeles’ Figueroa Corridor from February 2021 to June 2026.
Credit: Curtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office
Officials also say investigators uncovered additional evidence during today’s operation, including a large amount of cash tied to those trafficking activities. 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.
Credit: Curtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office
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The latest arrests build on charges first filed in the case last year. 11 original defendants charged last year have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to go on trial on March 18, 2027.
Multiple federal and local agencies are continuing to investigate the case, including Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office.