(CNN) -- Authorities across the United States have arrested 678 people with alleged ties to Mexican drug trafficking organizations in a three-month operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency announced Tuesday.
Among those caught up in the sweep were 322 people with violent criminal histories, the agency said in a news release. They represent 133 gangs and 24 countries, it said.
The operation targeted transnational gangs, which the agency said include large numbers of foreign nationals as members and often are involved in human smuggling, identity theft, fraud, weapons trafficking and the drug trade.
"Like any street gang, these transnational gangs also have a propensity toward violence," according to the news release. "Their members committed a number of violent crimes including robbery, extortion, assault, rape and murder".
The sweep, called Project Southern Tempest, also resulted in the arrests of 164 other people for alleged non-drug violations or immigration violations, the agency said.
Authorities seized 86 guns, eight pounds of methamphetamine, 30 pounds of marijuana, a pound of cocaine, $70,000 in cash and two vehicles during the operation, which began in December and ended this month, the release said.
The operation is the largest-ever led by the agency to target gangs with ties to drug trafficking, according to the release. It involved 173 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. CNN
