Alberta sheriffs shut down southeast Calgary drug house

A house in southeast Calgary known for having ongoing problems including drug activity has been shut down by Alberta sheriffs.

On Tuesday, crews boarded up the house at 200 Cottonwood Cr. S.E., changed the locks and put a fence around the property to bar the owner and any other occupants from entering for 90 days, according to officials.

A court order also forbids the property owner from having any visitors or tenants for five years without prior approval from Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods investigators (SCAN). The order will remain in effect until Dec. 16, 2024.

A court order gave SCAN investigators the authority to close the house.

Calgary police said they responded to 39 incidents at the property over the pasty two years, including a fatal drug overdose in 2018. There was also an assault there in August 2019 that involved two men beating a person who lived at the home with a baseball bat and ball-peen hammer.

“Our government is committed to using all means at our disposal to investigate, disrupt and dismantle criminal activity that endangers people in our communities,” Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, said in a statement. “We value and have the utmost appreciation for the SCAN unit and its tireless work in ensuring Albertans are safe, secure and protected.”

The investigation into the home began in March 2019 in response to multiple complaints about drug activity after the property was returned to the owner in Jan. 2019.

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In addition to the home and property being closed for the next three months, there will be strict conditions imposed for the next five years. The legal action and closure is aimed at breaking the criminal activity cycle at the property that has been ongoing for years.

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.