BOSTON -- City and state officials announced Monday that they made two arrests in connection with illegal dumping in East Boston.

Cesar M. Reis, of East Boston, and Edward J. Pina, of Carver, were caught on camera dumping carpeting, trash and metal debris at 601 Chelsea St. in East Boston, officials said. Both men were issued $1,000 tickets.

"This site, located near the Chelsea Creek known for illegal dumping, was targeted by the city and MassDEP for strategic placement of surveillance cameras," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said.

The arrests came after the city and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection set up surveillance cameras at a parcel of land owned by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority near Chelsea Creek, which had become a popular illegal dumping site.

"This is really bad, there is carpeting and some tools. We have had cases in other cities where commercial entities have dumped entire dump trucks full of debris," said Pamela Talbot of the DEP Strike Force.

The city and state first teamed up to catch illegal dumpers on surveillance cameras in 2005. The cameras have been used in eight illegal dumping cases.

"It is our policy not to tell the public where those cameras are at any times because we want to get the dumpers who are illegally dumping in our city. We want to get them and penalize them to the fullest extent of the law," Menino said.

Violators face fines of $1,000 to $25,000, depending on the type and amount of debris dumped.

Residents can report illegal dumping in their neighborhood at 617-635-5300.