WASHINGTON, March 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency Tuesday announced the arrest of 678 alleged gang members in "Project Southern Tempest."
The action brings the agency's total gang arrests to 20,373 since its anti-gang program began in 2005, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations said in a release.
"Project Southern Tempest is the largest ever ICE-led gang enforcement operation targeting gangs with ties to drug trafficking organizations," said ICE Director John Morton.
"Through gang enforcement operations like Project Southern Tempest and Project Big Freeze last year, ICE will continue to disrupt and dismantle these transnational gangs and rid our streets not only of drug dealers, but the violence associated with the drug trade."
The 678 people arrested were linked to 133 gangs, 447 were charged with criminal offenses, 322 had violent criminal histories, and 421 were foreign nationals from 24 countries in South and Central America, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, ICE said.
The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals Service all took part in Project Southern Tempest.
