A property of concern is closed until the end of May after the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit got a court order for the Medicine Hat property.
According to Alberta Sheriff’s there have been 18 complaints received about the property since 2023 connected to alleged drug and criminal activity believed to be happening in the detached garage on the property. This includes complaints about heavy bike and foot traffic, drug paraphernalia around the property, and frequent police activity which officials say mostly came from the detached garage. According to police in May of 2023, the owner of the property got a warning letter and last October SCAN investigators are alleged to have seen activity they say was consistent drug activity happening on the property or originating from it.
Officials say the , the Lethbridge-based unit was able to get a court order to close the garage on 48 Cameron Way for 90 days. During the closure, any previous rental contract is terminated and the property needs to be vacated until May 21st. The garage will be boarded up and fenced off, with all the locks changed. While the investigation is ongoing SCAN members will continue to monitor the property. Along with the closure of the Medicine Hat property, specific people who are believed to be responsible for the drug and criminal activity are banned from living at the property for two years.
According to Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, the closure is an example of how combined efforts between law enforcement agencies can stop criminal activity.
“I want to thank SCAN and the Medicine Hat Police Service for their tireless efforts to help residents reclaim their community. Let this closure be a message to all drug dealers in the province. You are not welcome here. Full stop. I urge all Albertans to continue reporting suspicious activity in their area,” Ellis says.
Since the SCAN unit was opened in 2008, more than 10,000 properties have been investigated and 130 community safety orders have been issued.
