TORONTO — Police have charged 73 people and seized large amounts of cocaine, fentanyl and firearms after a months-long investigation into an alleged criminal network that operated across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.

In a news conference Friday morning, officers displayed some of the 23 firearms they seized during the investigation, dubbed "Project Kraken," which aimed to take down an alleged criminal organization known as the Chester Lee gang.

Officers executed warrants in Toronto and Hamilton, as well as York, Halton, Durham and Peel regions, and arrested 37 people Thursday morning. Police said 43 others were arrested earlier in the investigation.

Officers said they seized more than $350,000 worth of drugs, including more than a kilogram each of cocaine and fentanyl, along with $92,000 in cash and $84,000 worth of weapons.

Toronto police Deputy Chief Jim Ramer said nearly 600 charges have been laid against suspects from various jurisdictions across the GTA, with the help of a dozen different departments.

Ramer said the gang, with roots in Toronto's east end, is suspected to have been involved in numerous violent incidents in recent years, including an armed robbery where a tow truck smashed its way into a jewelry store.

He also alleged that the gang's drug business extended as far away as Thunder Bay, Sudbury and Peterborough.

"I would like to thank the officers in these specific communities for their assistance with Project Kraken and the dismantling of this trafficking network," he said.

Remembering last summer's spike in gun violence, Ramer said Toronto police are currently focusing on prevention.

"It's a battle that's very difficult to overcome," he said.

Police allege that some of the guns were seized from tow-truck drivers who were prepared to shoot each other in an ongoing turf war. Approximately seven tow trucks were caught up in the raids, police said.

"They are obviously operating in the public ... If you're armed with a firearm in a public space, where there is a high volume of pedestrians and vehicular traffic, you are absolutely a risk, and you are a major community-safety issue," said Steve Watts, the superintendent of Toronto police's Organized Crime Enforcement bureau.

Police will be hosting 31 community town-hall meetings on gang prevention and drug education outreach beginning in the fall. Ramer said the programs will help educate young people on the risks of gangs, as well as offering different programs to youth, parents and community members.