Sheriffs shut down 2nd alleged drug house in Calgary this week

Alberta sheriffs have shut down a second alleged drug house in Calgary this week.

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit says they received a court order against the owner of a home in northeast Calgary after frequent visits from police.

The house at 5720 18 Avenue NE has been shut down for 45 days starting at noon on Friday, and any tenant agreements or leases have been terminated. SCAN says complaints of alleged drug activity at the home led to repeated visits from officers.

Investigators obtained a community safety order which means the property will remain under supervision for the next two years — long after the owner is allowed back in July.

“It’s immensely encouraging to see yet another drug house shut down by Alberta’s SCAN team, the fourth in less than two weeks,” reads a statement from Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services.

Sheriffs shut down another alleged Calgary drug house in Beddington Heights earlier this week. Officials said there were 17 rental suites inside that house, which was shuttered for 60 days.

Since it was created in 2008, the SCAN unit has investigated more than 9,000 properties and has been granted 119 community safety orders.

The unit uses legal sanctions and court orders to hold owners accountable for illegal activity happening on their property. The province says most complaints are resolved by working with property owners to stop the illegal activity on their property.