Federal authorities have taken down eight members of the violent 18th Street gang that had seized control of a crime-infested stretch of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, part of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional district. Seven of the eight gang members are in the country illegally, prosecutors said, and they now face charges tied to brutal assaults, racketeering, drug trafficking, fraud, and weapons offenses after a sweeping multi-agency takedown.
The 18th Street gang, a notorious transnational criminal network founded by Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles, has been accused of turning the Queens corridor into a lawless “Red Light” district, extorting businesses, distributing fake passports and counterfeit money, and violently attacking anyone who stood in their way. Local leaders and residents have long pleaded for federal intervention as the streets turned into open-air prostitution zones with women lining the sidewalks to solicit sex, while migrant vendors sold stolen goods and unregulated hot food under subway tracks.
Prosecutors pointed to multiple brutal attacks as evidence of the gang’s reign of terror, including smashing a man’s head with a tequila bottle, stabbing another victim in the lung, and beating a suspected rival with a bike lock and metal chair. “Those arrested acted and behaved with callous and cruel disregard for those around them,” said FBI Assistant Director Christopher Raia, calling the takedown a clear example of the agency’s commitment to crushing violent gangs.
The bust comes after locals warned that the 18th Street gang was filling the void left by the Tren de Aragua gang following a prior winter crackdown. Law enforcement agencies including the FBI, Homeland Security, ICE, the Secret Service, and local NYPD units were involved in the operation, which included raids that recovered firearms, ammunition, and counterfeit documents.
Former state senator Hiram Monserrate, who was part of the Restore Roosevelt Avenue coalition demanding action, praised the arrests and warned that international organized crime remains a serious threat in the area. “Many stood silent, we didn’t,” Monserrate said, crediting the federal agencies for stepping in while urging continued vigilance.
Residents have described Roosevelt Avenue as a third-world market riddled with lawlessness, with prostitution and gang activity operating in the open. NYPD Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry previously told Fox News Digital that prostitution and crime have plagued the corridor for decades but worsened due to the migrant crisis, with illegal aliens flooding into an already vulnerable community.
The gang members arrested include Felix Bonilla Ramos, Uriel Lopez, Refugio Martinez, Margarito Ortega, Orlando Ramirez, German Rodriguez, David Vasquez Corona, and Marco Vidal Mendez, with only Rodriguez in the country legally.
While Rep. Grace Meng praised law enforcement for prioritizing public safety, AOC’s office did not respond to requests for comment about the takedown in her own district. AOC has previously faced criticism for ignoring the rampant prostitution, trafficking, and lawlessness plaguing her constituents, with some local leaders accusing her and other progressives of turning a blind eye while communities suffered.
The Roosevelt Avenue corridor remains under federal watch as authorities promise continued efforts to clean up the crime-ridden strip and restore order in a neighborhood where residents say they have felt abandoned for years.
