(NewsNation) — Seven Wisconsin teenagers, including five 16-year-olds, have been charged with manufacturing and distributing illegal ghost guns in what police are characterizing as a large-scale operation that was selling firearms to local high school students.

The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department executed five search warrants in two Wisconsin counties this week that uncovered the firearms operation being run by seven high school students, police officials announced.

Jacob Ehlert-Abbott, 17, and George Shepherd, 18, were arrested along with five 16-year-old boys who were not named by police. The seven teens were charged with receiving stolen property (firearms), intentionally selling dangerous weapons to a child, possessing dangerous weapons while under the age of 18 and carrying concealed weapons, police said.

An investigation into the firearms operation determined that guns were being sold to high-school students around Kenosha County.

Search warrants that were executed this week led to the discovery of several guns, firearms frames with no serial numbers (commonly known as ghost guns), several gun-building kits, pistol and rifle magazines, manufactured gun parts and accessories along with ammunition.

The investigation into the matter began in April when sheriff’s deputies responded to a burglary during which several guns were stolen, police said. Earlier this month, a woman contacted police officials and said she was concerned after learning her son was driving around with a car full of guns.

Around the same time, police received several reports from local residents of shots being fired in the area. Police pulled over the vehicle being driven by the teen whose mother contacted the sheriff’s department. During the traffic stop, police found several of the guns that were taken in the April burglary.

Later the same evening, police executed search warrants and found more stolen guns, all of which were linked to the earlier burglary, police said.

Investigators announced that all of the seven teens arrested and charged this week have confessed to manufacturing and selling the guns.

“The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department has been and will continue to be proactive in keeping our community safe,” Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner said in a statement released by the department. “Because of the outstanding work by our KSD Detectives and Deputies as well as all those who assisted throughout this case, countless further crimes involving these illegally manufactured and sold firearms have been prevented. Lives have been saved and our community is truly safer with this firearm manufacturing and distribution operation shut down.”