Police in York Region say they have arrested three men in connection with a rash of break-and-enters and distraction thefts that have been reported over the last four months.

The suspects were arrested on Feb. 22 while they were “casing out” a financial institution in Newmarket, police say.

It is alleged that the suspects are responsible for a numerous thefts and break-and-enters.

Police say that in one case the suspects waited outside financial institutions and slashed the tires of people who went inside. When those people returned to their vehicles, police say one or more of the suspects would come to their aid and assist them in changing the slashed tire while another suspect discreetly removed property from their vehicles.

Police allege that the suspects were also responsible for a number of residential break-and-enters in Markham. The first such robbery occurred on the morning of Nov. 21. According to police, the suspects broke into a Markham residence but fled a short time later after discovering that the owner was inside the home.

Following the arrest of the suspects on Feb. 22, police say they executed a search warrants at the Brampton home of one of the accused and recovered a large quantity of stolen property that they believe was taken during those break-ins. The stolen property includes expensive handbags and Rolex watches, among other items.

“We have been able to identify some of the property but with a lot of property we still need the public’s assistance,” Det. Sgt. Smyth told reporters at a news conference on Thursday. “There has been a Flickr account created for the items recovered. We are asking that anyone in the public not just from Markham but across the GTA go online to view these items.”

Investigation dubbed Project Cayenne

Smyth said that the investigation into the thefts and breaks was conducted jointly with a number other police forces across the GTA.

He said that officers dubbed the investigation “Project Cayenne” because the suspects often fled in a Porsche Cayenne.

“They were living a pretty good life of some of the events they were involved with,” he said.

The arrests come amid an overall spike in break-and-enters in York Region.

Police say that there have been a reported 307 break-and-enters in the region in January and February, which is up from the 284 break-and-enters that were reported to police during the same time period in 2016.

The suspects that were arrested on Feb. 22 include Mario Stephone Guillermo Astuillo-Olivares, 25, of Brampton, Juan Alejandro Donoso Jofre, 43, of Brampton, and Guillermo Franciso Salas Barrera, 57, of Brampton. Police have charged Astuillo-Olivares and Jofre with two counts of break-and-enter and one count of mischief under $5,000. Barrera, meanwhile, is only charged with mischief under $5,000.