Drug house on the north side shut down by Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit

“There were eight complainants in this neighbourhood, just to give you an idea of what we were dealing with. In July 2018 eight different neighbours called into the SCAN Unit to complain of drug activity at this property. They were experiencing in and out traffic all hours of the day and night, stolen vehicles showing up and an extensive amount of people in and out of the property both using and buying drugs,” Letourneau said.

After SCAN investigators confirmed the drug activity, they partnered with Lethbridge Police to address the issues.

Lethbridge police executed a search warrant at the property on Aug. 2, 2018, and seized drugs and weapons.

SCAN issued a warning letter to the owner, who doesn’t live at the property.

“It was the homeowner’s son that was living in this property, and the home owner’s son had a drug issue and was unable to control the property and the number of people coming to the property,” Letourneau explained.

Drug activity at the property continued, prompting investigators to gather more evidence to support a Community Safety Order application in court.

“There were so many people in this property we’re not even sure who was living here at this point, other than the owner’s son who was supposed to be living in this property but clearly he lost control of it.”

On Dec. 21, 2018, Lethbridge police executed a second search warrant at the property, resulting in criminal charges against several people. Police found drugs, stolen identification and stolen property.

Following negotiations with the property owner, SCAN obtained a Community Safety Order from the Court of Queen’s Bench on Tuesday, Feb. 5, and the homeowners agreed to the 90-day closure, which ends on May 13, 2019.

“The homeowners have a collaborative interest in trying to resolve the issues at this property, and we’ve given them access to it for the sake of remediating it. I can tell you from being inside, it’s arguably one of the worst that we’ve seen. There are hundreds of used needles in this property, and it’s filthy.

“An example of this is a blood-stained wall with a target drawn on the wall where they used it as a dartboard with their used syringes. This is a really bad property with a lot of really bad things happening in the neighbourhood, and I think the neighbours are going to be happy,” Letourneau stated.

The Community Safety Order remains in effect for one year, giving SCAN the authority to monitor the property and enforce conditions until Feb. 5, 2020.

Inside the property, Letourneau said you couldn’t walk without stepping on something.

“It’s trashed, in my view, it’s going to be a full reno for these homeowners, it’s going to be a tough one. To give you an idea of what was happening at this property, the Lethbridge Police Service had responded to this property 46 times in a one-year period. That’s a massive drain on resources and that’s a large volume of people,” Letourneau said, adding complainants described upwards of 10 people an hour being in this property.

Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley says the collaboration between SCAN and concerned Albertans who report suspicious properties is a valuable tool in keeping our communities secure.

“I commend investigators for their diligent efforts to tackle crime and keep our communities safe,” Ganley added.

Since its inception in 2008, Alberta’s SCAN unit has investigated nearly 5,000 problem properties across the province and has issued more than 70 Community Safety Orders.

The majority of complaints are resolved informally, with no need for legal action, by working with property owners to address issues.

by Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter) with files from Lara Fominoff (@LaraFominoff on Twitter)

Drug house on the north side shut down by Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit

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