Mexico asked the United States for information on a US law enforcement operation that allegedly allowed illegal smuggling of guns into the country.

The idea behind operation "Fast and Furious" was to monitor the path of the guns in hopes of bringing down top players in Mexico's powerful crime cartels.

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has requested "detailed information on this case."

The request comes days after US President Barack Obama met with his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon in Washington on Thursday and vowed to step up the fight against Mexico's violent drug cartels.

Obama stressed the "strong bonds" between the neighbors and renewed his commitment to helping crack down on the trafficking of drugs and weapons across their joint border.

CBS News, which earlier broke the story, said the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led the operation allowing weapons to cross the border, in a tactic known as letting guns "walk."

CBS reported some guns that were allowed to "walk" turned up at violent crime scenes in Mexico, including two AK-47 assault rifles found at the murder scene of US border patrol agent Brian Terry, who was killed in December 2010.

More than 34,600 people have been killed in drug-related violence since December 2006, when Calderon's government deployed soldiers and federal police to take on the powerful crime gangs.