A months-long investigation in Phoenix culminated in an organized crime ring chop shop bust, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) alert posted on Facebook this week.

Its Vehicle Theft Task Force (VTTF) made multiple arrests related to an organized crime ring responsible for vehicle thefts, vehicle burglaries, and chop-shop operations throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Suspects allegedly targeted high-end Mopar vehicles, including Hellcat, SRT, and TRX models, scouting apartment complexes in advance, returning at a later time to illegally access the vehicles using electronic technology to start and steal them without a key.

Once stolen, vehicles were either dismantled and sold for parts through online marketplaces and word of mouth, sold intact on the black market at steeply discounted prices, or, in some cases, VIN-switched and used by the suspects before being resold.

To date, detectives have identified 16 stolen vehicles valued at more than $750,000.

Five suspects were taken into custody and booked on multiple felony charges, including fraud, theft of means of transportation, trafficking in stolen property, and possession of burglary tools.

According to the VTTF, thefts involving SRT Mopar vehicles are on the rise.