A ruthless street gang believed to be responsible for three Toronto homicides has been effectively dismantled, Toronto police chief Mark Saunders boasted on Friday while showing off a frightening cache of handguns and drugs seized during Project Sizzle.

The series of raids at dozens of locations Thursday targeted a gang called the Heart of a King (HOK), that police allege were involved in homicides, drug dealing, shootings, firearm trafficking and fraud and prostitution.

Fifty-three arrests in total were made, with several in Montreal.

Toronto Police, led by the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, executed 42 search warrants. pic.twitter.com/3aRPc8cJCo — Alfredo Colangelo (@CityAlfredo) June 3, 2016

Standing before the intimidating arsenal of weapons, Chief Saunders said Toronto police, in tandem with other forces, were “able to eradicate an organization that use (guns) as their tools for doing business.”

“Today is a good day for policing.”

Some of the goods seized as part of Project Sizzle raids @CityNews pic.twitter.com/xxIh7an1KV — Ginella Massa (@Ginella_M) June 3, 2016

Police believe members of the gang, which originated in Nova Scotia, were responsible for the October 2015 murder of Charles Shillingford, 25, and well as the murders of Quinn Taylor, 29, and David Michael Eminess, 26, outside of a popular Chinese restaurant on Spadina Avenue in January.

Several suspected gang members are facing murder charges in those cases, including Jahmal Richardson, the alleged leader of the HOK gang.

Richardson is one of four men charged with first-degree murder in Shillingford’s killing.

Police say Jamal Richardson (pictured on car) aka "Bam" or "Bambino" is the leader of HOK. #ProjectSizzle pic.twitter.com/Kj7D5qNz5M — Momin Qureshi (@Momin680NEWS) June 3, 2016

Inspector Bryan Bott from the Guns and Gangs Task Force said the probe into the gang began in January. “This gang…had a propensity for violence and were involved, we believe, in several homicides within the city of Toronto,” he said.

Bott said the gang operated primarily out of downtown Toronto after migrating from Halifax, where they were known as North Preston’s Finest.

They’ve been in Toronto since 2010, Bott added.

“We allege the leader of HOK is Jahmal Richardson, alias Bam or Bambino,” Bott said.

Police says 17 firearms were seized during Project Sizzle, as well marijuana, cocaine, ketamine, jewellery, body armour and around $45,000 in cash.

This Bentley chain alone is valued at $110,000 #ProjectSizzle pic.twitter.com/0LBrwWKB4L — Momin Qureshi (@Momin680NEWS) June 3, 2016

Chief Saunders said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected in the near future.

He also had a message for those seduced by the allure of fast money through crime.

“These type of lifestyles are always short lived,” he said. “I’ve never seen longevity in people who invest in street gang activity.”