Northern Alberta drug house boarded up, fenced off by Sheriffs

An Alberta Sheriff cruiser is seen in this file photo.

EDMONTON -

A drug house in the Town of Slave Lake, Alta., has been fenced off and boarded up by police, to prevent anyone from entering for the next 90 days.

The Alberta Sheriffs' Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit obtained a court order to block entry to the central Slave Lake home, after receiving multiple complaints of illegal drug activity from the community, according to police.

The complaints date back to September 2020.

After a SCAN investigation allegedly confirmed the complaints, investigators say they sent a warning letter to the property owner, who lives elsewhere, in order to resolve the issue.

Police say drug activity continued at the house even after the letter was sent.

After searching the home in January, Mounties say they found small quantities of fentanyl and carfentanil which led to charges against one resident of the house.  

A community safety order from the Court of Queen’s Bench was granted to the SCAN unit on June 14 and took effect on Monday.

Under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, the order also places the property under the SCAN unit's supervision for two years. 

Once the owner regains access to the property he'll need approval from the SCAN unit for any new occupants, until the order expires in 2023. 

The community safety order will keep the Slave Lake home boarded up until Sept. 26.

According to a Government of Alberta news release, Alberta's SCAN unit has issued nearly 100 community safety orders and investigated more than 5,800 “problem properties“ since its inception in 2008.