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MESA - Authorities swept the Phoenix metro area and arrested 31 people associated with a prison gang and distribution of methamphetamine.

Monday's sweep brought to an end a three-year investigation by federal, state and local authorities that, in part, identified how convicted felons in Arizona's prison system ran a crime ring from behind bars.

Eleven suspects in the suspected gang remained at large Monday evening.

The sweep began at about 5:30 a.m. and included arrests at more than 40 locations from Tolleson to Mesa. All of the arrests were made without incident, said John Lewis, special agent in charge of the FBI's Phoenix bureau. Authorities declined to identify the gang, saying that doing so would add to its notoriety and street credibility.

"The fact of the matter is we're talking about drug dealers, gun runners, the kind of people who don't add anything to the quality of life here," Lewis said. "The last thing I want to do is give their gang a pat on the back by mentioning their name."

Authorities did say the suspects were affiliated with a single gang that is based in the prison system.

The central figure in the arrests was 38-year-old Phoenix resident Kristine Tietjens, who faces more than 250 charges including illegal control of an enterprise and participation in a criminal enterprise. Some of the charges carry sentences as long as 15 years.

While Tietjens was not a member of the gang, the FBI said she allowed gang members to use her home as a safe house to store stolen property, and allowed others to use her vehicle in committing crimes, including robberies and thefts.

The agency said Tietjens also organized drug deals and forwarded messages for incarcerated gang members.

The other suspects arrested, 14 women and 16 men, face between four and 16 charges a piece, said Mike Scerbo, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

"Our office will make certain these gang members will be vigorously prosecuted so that their gang runs out of fuel," County Attorney Andrew Thomas said in a statement.

No one who was already in prison was expected to face additional charges as a result of the bust.