Police have shut down a residence on Gunn Street where drug trafficking activity took place (rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

By rdnewsNOW staff

BOARDED UP!

Drug house shut down in north Red Deer

Mar 20, 2020 | 1:45 PM

A residence in north Red Deer that’s been the scene of drug trafficking activity has been boarded up for the next three months.

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit of the Alberta Sheriffs obtained a court order that took effect at noon on Thursday (March 19), giving them the authority to close the house at 54 Gunn Street for 90 days.

“Under terms of the community safety order, crews boarded up the house, changed the locks and fenced off the property to stop anyone from entering until June 17,” says Jason van Rassel, Communications Advisor, Alberta Justice and Solicitor General.

SCAN started its investigation in June 2019 in response to complaints from the community about drug trafficking and drug use. Investigators confirmed drug activity was taking place after observing several drug transactions and a large number of people coming and going from the premises.

SCAN’s evidence was supplemented with evidence from police.

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Over a two year-period, Red Deer RCMP has responded to 49 calls at the property – including two home invasions in July 2019 and October 2019. Someone fired a gun inside the property during the July incident, though nobody was injured.

In September, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) executed a search warrant at the property and seized fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs worth an estimated $40,000. Investigators laid charges against four people, including the homeowner, who lived on the premises.

On Feb. 26, SCAN investigators presented the evidence in Court of Queen’s Bench and obtained a community safety order authorizing Thursday’s closure.

In addition to barring anyone from the property until June 17, the court order places the property under conditions until Feb. 26, 2021.

The SCAN unit works with other law enforcement agencies to shut down properties being used for illegal activities. The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act gives sheriffs the authority to target problem properties through civil enforcement.