Drug Arrests at your Rental Property? How to handle the situation.

A property that was placed in possesion of my ex-wife but not yet deeded to her was raided twice in 2009 ( Oct and Nov) and both times thge charges were dropped by the courts or police dept. In NC it is quite difficult to get a Drug Dealer eviction completed even with a police officer testifying on your behalf when the tenant has paid their rent on time.  Well I had some illnesses and was bed ridden for sevaral days each time I underwent medical testing. One day I had a police officer beating my door very aggressively and I was awakened from a sound sleep but had a dangerous dye in my veins and was tyold that I could get up only 5 times per day for 2 days. The officer called my phone and threatened to tear my door down and arrest me if I didn't come to the door. When I explained my health situation , he wanted me to waste 1 of my out of bed 5 minutes to let him in so he could come to my bedroom for a conversation. I had no idea of any of my ex-wife's tenant's actions and had  never been contacted on the matter by the police department. I nicely refused to get up confine my dogs and let this assumed officer into my house. I explained to him that the property was in full control of my ex-wife and gave him her home address and phone number as well as her cell phone number and work address without getting up. He left making threats to come back to arrest me and my ex-wife. I had no legal rights to perform an eveiction process on a property in her control and possesion. I understand that he did correspond with her and that she began working with a nuisance abatement officer in his precinct. Upon hearing this, from my ex, I never heard back from the officer.  Well aparently these tenants couldn't or weren't evicted due to no grounds because the charges kept getting dropped. On April 3rd, I think they had another raid on the property and on April 13, 2010 i ahd 3 officers come to my door while I was trying to finish my taxes. As soon as I stepped out of my door, they put handcuffs on me and even though they did not have it in their possesion said that there was a felony warrant for my  arrest for maintaining a dwelling for distribution of drugs.  I begged for them to call my ex and the abatement officer in their precinct to prevent this intentionally vicious act. They said they didn't have anything to do with the warrant and wasn't even sure of it's contents, just that they were told to pick me up. Well 10 and a half hours of processing and confinement with drug dealers, drunks, and gang members and no food or medicine the bail bonds man my brother hired and followed to the jail house right behind the car I was in, i got out of jail at a price of $1030.  Now I have to spend close to $4,000. for an attorney to prevent a possible felony conviction. Yes I should be able to simply explain the circumstances and show the papers concerning the property managment's control and possesion but I cannot afford taking a chance especially seeing how I was treated and unable to get anyone to listen to the circumstances.  My ex has contacted the abatement officer trying to urge her to help me out since she knew that efforts had been made to comply with the nuicense.  The officer that signed the warrant will not return my ex-wife's calls nor mine and the abatement officer said she has nothing to do with him nor his actions even though they are in the same precinct and began this process with him. She apparently has not made any effort to keep him informed of the multiple correspondence and documentation of meetings my ex provided to her in previous eviction attempts. Oh I have the neighborhood police parking in front of my house and doing radar on my neighborhood street, and following me sometimes from property to property. ( ihave 11 rentals on the same street as the property in this matter and code enforcement officers have put 10 of them under constant code enforcement for tenants leaving their trash can out in the front yard, or parking in the grass, or not cutting their grass often enough, etc. and I also live 1 street over)  I am a nervous wreck and have decided to give up the rental business I have workd over 30 years amassing and attempting to sell my houses for extremely low values due to the economy and urgency I have to leave Charlotte.  Are we in a military state  now? 

I have a major drug house across the street from me. Drug task force has been involed for 3 yrs to no avail. The landlord refuses to evict even with the raids, arrests and all other nuisances that have occured. Dectectives have handed the evidence to him on a 'silver plate" but he refuses to co-operate and get them out. I believe he might even be a customer of theirs!  ANY Advice would be grealy appreciated. This is a great neighborhood except for the drug house. I live in Wenatchee Washington. I want to see an attorney. My husband thinks it is a waste of time and $ because we have no legal rights. WHO IS RIGHT?  HELP!~ 

Thank you very much Mike for this blog. I have rental property in Florida. I went to the rental house to deliver a 3 day notice of eviction for nonpayment of rent, when I was met by drug task enforcement officers who had just arrested my tenants and found a meth lab inside. Needless to say I am very upset about this and am not sure how to proceed. I have been unable so far to get the lead investigator to return my phone calls and I am not sure what to do next. Someone told me that in Florida if your rental property is in a drug bust, that you don't have to go thru the eviction process. That I have the right to sieze it back and everything the renters left behind because they are both in jail now. Do you know anything about this? Thank you so much for your help.

i have the exact oposite situation i am renting and found out that swat did a drug bust in my house. i however was not informed of this by my land lord. we have people come and ask us for the previous tenets all the time and my wife feels unsafe. would this be a bretch of contract for not informing me of the previous situation in the house?

My brother just found out he was renting to some dealers/growers. They changed his basement into a grow room. There is water damage and mold throughout the house. And something about the acid in the THC throughout the house as well. After he evicts what are his steps. Can he sue or will his rental insurance cover anything? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.