A joint police task-force has arrested 16 people, laid 116 charges and recovered over a million dollars worth of stolen vehicles after busting a carjacking network in the Greater Toronto Area.

Operation GTA was initiated in June of this year as “a joint-forces operation focused on identifying and targeting the criminal networks responsible for funding and fueling the increase in violent carjackings across the Greater Toronto Area.”

The task force was led by York Regional Police and partner agencies included the Toronto Police Service, the Durham Regional Police Service, the Halton Regional Police Service, Peel Regional Police and the Ontario Provincial Police.

Police said in a press release that instances of carjackings had been on the rise during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and that many of the incidents involved armed suspects, posing serious risks to public safety.

Police say multiple search warrants were executed on Oct. 11 and 12 of this year, resulting in the arrests. Investigators say they recovered 19 stolen vehicles worth approximately $1.4 million and identified 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. Investigators believe that some of these vehicles have been resold to unsuspecting buyers,” police said in the release.

York Regional Police released a video showing one suspect’s arrest along with a number of the allegedly stolen vehicles.

Police are asking anyone with information about York Region occurrences to contact the York Regional Police Hold-Up Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 6631, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips, leave an anonymous tip online at www.1800222tips.com.