Two prolific offenders arrested during a dedicated operation to crackdown on burglary in the Basildon district have pleaded guilty to offences.

Lewis Wright-Bailey, 18, of Basildon and Michael Howe, 27, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle at Basildon Crown Court on Friday, March 2.

Wright-Bailey also pleaded guilty to driving offences including dangerous driving and possession of cannabis. Howe pleaded guilty to two counts of handling stolen goods. They are due to be sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, April 2.

Operation Cuba was launched following a spate of burglaries that were initially across the Basildon district.

Wright-Bailey and Howe’s images were then released on our social media pages as wanted men after being identified as being linked to burglaries where homes had been broken into and vehicles and other high value belongings were taken.

These burglaries occurred in Basildon, Grays and Chelmsford between May 30 and September 17, We arrested Howe and Lewis Wright-Bailey at addresses in Basildon in September.

Investigating officer DC Charlie Cronin, of Basildon CID, said: “This was a complex case that involved a series of burglaries in Essex and dozens of victims.

“Wright-Bailey has since admitted being involved with 19 separate burglaries and Howe admitted his involvement in three. This is an extremely positive result for the victims and the communities involved.

“This operation has demanded a lot of hard work and dedication and we have worked tirelessly to bring these two individuals to justice.”