Lethbridge drug house shuttered after charges fail to stop illegal activity

Police have shut down a drug house in Lethbridge, which had been the subject of multiple complaints about drug activity.

"If you're living next to one of these properties, it can be a nightmare for you," said Glenn Stuart, an investigator with theSafer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit, which targets properties across the province that are used for illegal activity.

SCAN launched a two-day investigation into the home along 15 Street South in September.

It had receivedfive public complaints that drugs were being dealt there, followed by a fire in a garage at the rear of the property which spread to a neighbour's garage.

"We were satisfied there was drug activity occurring at the house, and also away from the house, so we issued the owner of the property a SCAN warning letter and it was explained to her she needed to do something about the drug activity at the house," said Stuart.

"Shortly after that,Lethbridge police started their own investigation which resulted in a drug warrant being executed."

Officers found drugs, replica firearms, ammunition and cash inside, resulting in charges against the two tenants living at the home.

However, the drug activity continued, and in November, SCAN received a Community Safety Order and permission to close the property.

A fence has been erected around the home, the windows are boarded up, and the locks are changed.

No one will be permitted inside the home for 90 days, and no one can live there for one year.

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