Police arrested 18 gang members during the course of a three-month drug investigation in Austin. View Full Caption DNAInfo/Michael Shin

CHICAGO — Police arrested 18 gang members in a West Side drug bust.

Investigators recovered more than $85,000 worth of cannabis, heroin and crack cocaine in Austin during the three-month investigation, police said in a statement issued Thursday.

Police attributed recent violence in the area to the drug market controlled by the Conservative Vice Lords gang, police said.

The offenders were charged with various crimes, including delivery of a controlled substance, a felony.

Ten of those arrested were felons with “extensive criminals backgrounds,” including arrests for homicide, aggravated battery and other violent crimes, police said.

The takedown illustrates “diligent police work” and “the community’s commitment to put these criminals out of business for good,” Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said.

Police arrested 19 people in a drug bust earlier this month in East Garfield Park.