VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Seven people have been arrested and charged and police say they have dealt a “huge blow” to a violent Lower Mainland crime group.

Dubbed “Project Temper,” Vancouver Police worked with Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit BC on a three-month investigation which ended with the “dismantling” of the Gill Group, including the arrest of its leader, Taqdir Gill.

The investigation began in August when police noticed a spike in violence.

“There was a lot of shootings and associated violence associated with this group. I think in the six months leading up to this we had to deal with this group approximately 16 times, and after the arrests, the types of incidents fell down to a couple,” Superintendent Mike Porteous said.

Police say the crimes, including arson, extortion and gun offences, were committed across Metro Vancouver including Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey and Langley.

“I would suggest that they were working within a cell themselves, but they were working more I would suggest on a contract basis for other, bigger crime groups,” Porteous said.

Porteous says the Gill Group gang was its own separate cell but was working more on a contract basis for other crime groups. pic.twitter.com/8NVP98Hfmn — Lasia Kretzel (@lkretzel1130) May 17, 2018

Four guns were seized in the operation.

The seven people who have been charged range in age from 17 to 23 years old. They were initially arrested back in October, and Porteous says during the investigation, more charges were laid.

Three of the seven are accused of conspiracy to commit murder, while four are charged with conspiracy to commit arson. Six face firearm charges.

Taqdir Gill, 21, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson, conspiracy to discharge a firearm, possession of a loaded restricted firearm, occupy a vehicle knowing a firearm is present, and extortion.

Hitkaran Johal, 19, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit arson.

Simrat Lally, 20, has been charged with conspiracy to discharge a firearm, conspiracy to commit arson, occupy a vehicle knowing a firearm is present, and two counts of possessing a firearm without a license/registration.

Walta Abay, 23, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a loaded restricted firearm, and occupying a vehicle knowing a firearm is present.

Pawandeep Chopra, 20, has been charged with possession of a loaded restricted firearm.

A youth, 17 years old at the time of offence, has been charged with conspiracy to discharge a firearm, possess a firearm without a license/registration, and occupy a vehicle knowing a firearm is present.

A youth, 17 years old at the time of offence, has been charged with conspiracy to commit arson.

Some of the accused remain in custody, while others have been released.