The late-night burglaries of gun stores by a group of young men and teenagers started Christmas Eve and continued through March in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Prince George’s counties, state prosecutors said Tuesday.

In all, 81 firearms were stolen, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday in a news release announcing nearly 800 charges that have been filed against four men younger than 21 in connection with the gun shop break-ins.

Only six of the 81 firearms have been recovered — five were found in Washington — while many were sold “well above fair market value” to juveniles or people barred from possessing them, state prosecutors said in their release.

“The reality is these stolen guns made their way into our communities, so it has always been a two-part mission: find those responsible and find the guns,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said in a statement.

Three of the four people charged are from Prince George’s County and one is a Baltimore City resident. According to the 87-page indictment, filed May 23 in Anne Arundel Circuit Court, the defendants were part of a criminal organization, though in a news conference Tuesday, authorities said they were more a solo group than part of a larger syndicate.

Those charged include:

Mahkiya McQuinn-Woodley, 20, of Baltimore, was charged with 200 counts.

Cy’juan Hemsley, 19, of District Heights, was charged with 189 counts.

An unnamed 17-year-old man from Temple Hills was charged with 199 counts.

An unnamed 16-year-old man from Upper Marlboro was charged with 205 counts.

In total, 794 charges were filed against the group, including participation in a criminal organization, conspiracy and theft charges. All four are being charged as adults, according to the attorney general’s office. Maryland law prohibits authorities from identifying juvenile defendants, even when they are charged as adults.

According to court filings, the first robbery took place on Christmas Eve, when the group broke into a gun shop in Capitol Heights and stole 35 firearms.

Between that night and March 4, prosecutors allege the defendants attempted to rob stores nine more times, succeeding only twice. In one of those cases, they were able to steal 10 airsoft guns, the indictment states. Airsoft guns fire plastic pellets instead of actual bullets and typically are used recreationally.

Last Christmas, the group attempted to break into five gun stores throughout Anne Arundel County — in Glen Burnie, Hanover and Pasadena — but failed each time. The same night, they were unable to infiltrate another shop in Halethorpe in Baltimore County.

Some of the 81 firearms taken during the spree were used in other crimes, authorities said, including a neighborhood shooting in District Heights with no injuries. At one point, someone was accidentally shot through both of their feet with a stolen gun and at another, the weapons were stolen by a rival group.

Paul Halliday, chief of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Unit, said social media was an essential part of this investigation. According to the indictment, messages and posts from the defendants depict firearm sales, reference the burglaries, and show stolen guns and the BMW sedan used in the crimes.

The four defendants were arrested weeks ago, Halliday said, and are being held without bail.

On Tuesday, Brown said announcing the indictments also served as a call for action and a public notice about the guns in the region.

“It’s when these guns fall into the hands of those who are banned from possessing them, that’s what creates the greatest danger in our community,” Brown said. “We must put a stop to this and get these guns off our streets.”

Brown announced the indictments at Anne Arundel County Police headquarters in Millersville alongside other law enforcement officials, including Halliday, Anne Arundel Police Chief Amal Awad, Prince George’s Police Bureau of Investigations Deputy Chief Zachary O’Lare and Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Baltimore Field Division also participated in the investigation.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the stolen firearms is asked to contact either the anonymous tip lines for Anne Arundel County Police at 410-222-4700, or Prince George’s County Police at 1-866-411-8477.