Drug house in Lethbridge closed down by Alberta Sheriffs

Alberta Sheriffs file photo (CTV News)

Alberta Sheriffs shut down a drug house in Lethbridge Wednesday.

The property, located at 1607 3 Avenue N was a site of frequent drug activity and violence that resulted in multiple visits from police, the province said in a media release issued Wednesday.

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit of Alberta Sheriffs obtained a court order against the owner of the property that gives them the right to close the property for 90 days, starting at noon Wednesday.

Any rental agreement is terminated as of that date.

As per the terms of the court order, the property will be boarded up, fenced and the locks changed. People are barred from entering the property until April 9.

“The SCAN unit is instrumental in ensuring the safe communities that we all deserve. I am pleased to see that, since its announcement in November, the southern Alberta SCAN team has taken swift action to confront and eliminate criminal activity in our neighbourhoods. Alberta’s government will do whatever it takes to keep all Albertans safe,” said Public Safety and Emergency Services minister Mike Ellis, in a release.

The province said that between Sept. 1, 2021 and Aug. 28, 2023, Lethbridge police visited the house 36 times, with complaints coming from eight different people in the neighbourhood.

“When SCAN closes a problem property anywhere in the province, we make an immediate, positive difference in the lives of Albertans,” said Alberta Sheriffs deputy Chief Greg Medley. “The southern Alberta SCAN team’s close partnership with the Lethbridge Police Service has been a key driver of our success in addressing properties like this one and I look forward to future progress.”