Stonington — Police arrested two men and recovered a large number of stolen items Tuesday morning after they say the pair overnight broke into units at Wes Stor Mini Storage in Pawcatuck and shortly after tried to trade some of the stolen jewelry for cigarettes at a local business.

Richard Burton, 50, of 13 Marie Ave., Pawcatuck, and Alex J. Cleveland, 18, of Hartford were charged with third-degree burglary, first-degree larceny, third-degree criminal mischief and possession of burglary tools.

They were being held on $100,000 cash bonds and are scheduled to be arraigned in New London Superior Court on Wednesday.

Burton is well known to local police as he has numerous convictions in Connecticut and Rhode Island for drunk driving, assault, drug possession, burglary, larceny, domestic violence and motor vehicle violations.

Police said that early Tuesday morning an employee at a local business reported that Burton had tried to trade jewelry for cigarettes and was able to describe the SUV he was driving.

The tip led to the discovery of the burglary, and police tracked the SUV to 13 Marie Ave.

At 10 a.m., police, with assistance from the Regional Community Enhancement Task Force, executed a search warrant at 13 Marie Ave. and found the stolen items in the SUV and home.

The task force recently was set up to combat the growing heroin problem in the region and quality-of-life issues.

Police Capt. Todd Olson credited the arrest and recovery of the items to a citizen’s tip, the efforts of the third shift patrol officers and detectives and the assistance of the Regional Community Enhancement Task Force members.

“It was really great work,” he said.

The case remained under investigation.