OPP Have Busted A Major Carjacking Ring In The GTA & $1.4M In Vehicles Were Stolen (VIDEO)

Police services across the GTA have joined forces to identify and target the "criminal networks" responsible for the many carjackings seen across the jurisdictions.

York Regional Police (YRP) said in a press release on Tuesday that "investigators recovered 19 stolen vehicles worth approximately $1.4 million" under a mission called "Operation GTA."

Multiple parts of the GTA have seen an increase in carjackings. "These often-violent crimes of opportunity, many involving armed suspects, continue to cause havoc in our communities and pose serious risk to public safety," YRP added.

Police also said that many stolen cars were used to commit other crimes, including retail robberies and other carjackings.

In October, search warrants were issued and multiple arrests were made, which resulted in "16 people charged with 116 offences," police reported.

Some of the common charges among the people arrested include the following:

• Possession of property obtained by crime — Over $5,000
• Conspiracy to commit indictable offence — Trafficking property obtained by crime
• Uttering of forged document
• Fraud
• Failure to comply with a release order.

• Failure to comply with a court order, eight counts
• Failure to comply with an undertaking, six counts
• Conspiracy to commit indictable offence — Robbery
• Possession of property obtained by crime — Over $5,000, six counts
• Conspiracy to commit indictable offence — Trafficking property obtained by crime, six counts
• Traffic in property obtained by crime — Over $5,000, three counts
• Conspiracy to commit indictable offence — Fraud, three counts
• Fraud.

In addition to the $1.4 million in recovered vehicles, there was an additional 50 "re-vinned vehicles worth over $5 million."

"These re-vinned vehicles are stolen and have had their Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) altered," YRP added, hence the term "re-vinning."

Police on the case believe that the cars with no trace could have been sold to other buyers, unaware they were stolen.

York Regional Police led "Operation GTA," and they worked with the Toronto Police Service, the Durham Regional Police Service, the Halton Regional Police Service, Peel Regional Police and the Ontario Provincial Police, with funding provided by the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.