SAN DIEGO -- About 120 state and city police from Tijuana, Mexico, and Tecate, Mexico, were arrested Wednesday in Baja California, Mexico, 10News reported.

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Officials: Operation Isn't Over Yet

Baja California's governor said Mexican soldiers and federal police raided the Baja California police academy in Tecate where officers were holding a meeting on their licenses to carry arms.

Elorduy said officers ordered them to turn over their weapons and credentials and arrested them. Detainees were taken to Tijuana and loaded on three planes to Mexico City.

Tijuana Police Chief Carlos Otal and his two bodyguards were among those arrested, according to 10News.

The arrests are being touted as the latest step in the government's effort to crack down on corruption. Many of the officers are suspected of links to the Arellano Felix organization, which has been based in Tijuana.

Investigators say the cartel is struggling to survive following the arrest of Benjamin Arellano Felix last month. His brother, Ramon, who was on the FBI's 10 most-wanted list, was killed by police in February.

The police officers arrested have been flown to Mexico City. Officials said Thursday that they would be ordered to appear before investigators.

The surprise operation was a part of President Vicente Fox's crackdown on drug smuggling and police corruption. Fox's administration has landed two major blows this year to the Felix cartel, once the most-feared drug gang in Mexico.