SCAN slams door on drug house

By Lethbridge Herald on April 8, 2021.

Members of the Alberta Sheriffs SCAN unit post a notice with details of a community safety order while crews close up a drug house Thursday along Henderson Lake Blvd. South. Herald photo by Ian Martens

Trevor Busch
Lethbridge Herald
tbusch@lethbridgeherald.com
The SCAN unit of the Alberta Sheriffs, working in conjunction with the Lethbridge Police Service, shut down an alleged drug house on Thursday located only a block from Lakeview Elementary School.
SCAN had previously obtained a court order against the owners of 1326 Henderson Lake Boulevard South which bans anyone from the premises for 90 days and places conditions on the property until July 7, 2022.
“Back in September 2020, we received complaints from members of the community — from three complainants actually — who were complaining about what they suspected to be drug activity from this property,” said Kelvin Hau, SCAN unit investigator with the Alberta Sheriffs.
“In addition, these complainants were very, very fearful for their health, safety and security, as well as the safety and security of other members of the community as well, including children at a school just one block to the north of this house. In addition to that, their own observations led them to believe there was drug activity going on at this house, which then led them to contact us.”
The community safety order granted on March 26 in Court of Queen’s Bench took effect at noon on April 8, giving sheriffs the authority to board up the house, change the locks and erect a fence around the property. The order also terminates all tenancy agreements.
“This house was occupied by the homeowner’s son, who is suffering himself from drug addiction, and during the course of this drug addiction has allowed the house to go completely out of his control,” continued Hau.
“He has allowed his friends and associates in the drug subculture to reside, stay or to visit here, and they bring all of the usual associated problems that being in the drug subculture has with them, and that has spilled out into the surrounding neighbourhood. This actually marks the third time SCAN has been involved with this particular homeowner with a property that he owns that his son is residing in.”
SCAN’s investigation began in September 2020 in response to multiple complaints from the community, including allegations of drug use, drug trafficking, criminal activity and erratic behaviour on the part of people attending the property.
“At the same time, I also learned that this house is of interest to the Lethbridge Police Service and they’ve known many of the occupants, the people who have visited, who would stay in this house for a while and many of them have very deep ties to the drug subculture and so that’s what they were looking into it,” said Hau.
Sgt. Rod Pastoor with the LPS Crime Suppression Team highlighted some of the accompanying property crime issues that had been experienced in the area associated with the house in question.
“We assisted SCAN and then also partnered with our patrols division. The warrant was executed several months ago because of drug activity and concerns about stolen property in the house.
“There was a significant item recovered in the house that was worth about $15,000. There was some drug charges, just simple possession. It wasn’t a big quantity, but people were using drugs within the residence which is obviously a concern in this neighbourhood. And then what they were doing was car prowlings, and the items that we recovered and seized were stolen from the neighbourhood through car prowlings, of course they’re trying to subsidize their addictions and pay for their drugs. It affects everyone in the community.”
SCAN will continue to monitor activities at 1326 Henderson Lake Boulevard South for the duration of the community safety order. The order also names several individuals who will not be allowed back to the property for a year.
“One of the complainants in particular noted that there was what appeared to be an intoxicated male coming from this house that was actually stabbing that tree with a knife in the middle of the day,” said Hau.
Hau went on to note that most of the behaviour witnessed at the home had concerned drug use, but investigators had observed activities consistent with trafficking.
“It was primarily drug use, however much of the evidence and observation that my team and I have made does lend to activities consistent with drug trafficking as well at this house.”
Since its inception in 2008, Alberta’s SCAN unit has investigated more than 5,800 problem properties and issued more than 90 community safety orders. The majority of complaints are resolved by working with property owners to keep criminal activity out of the community.
-with files from Ian Martens