COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced the city obtained a court order to shut down a known drug house in the Reeb-Hosack neighborhood on the south side.
In a news release, Klein said the property on South 4th Street is located near multiple residential homes, local businesses and places of worship and has long been known to area residents as a hub of criminal activity, including the sale of narcotics and stockpiling of firearms.
Neighbors began working with the Columbus Division of Police in 2021 to report criminal activity on the property, according to Klein.
“No one should have to put up with a revolving door of criminal activity on their street, and thanks to concerned neighbors and the investigative work of CPD, we were able to shut down this dangerous operation, disrupt the flow of drugs into our streets, and make our south side neighborhoods safer for residents and families alike,” said Klein.
For the past four months, CrimeTracker 10 looked into the number of property the city has shut down for various violations.
Since January 2019, more than 150 properties were given court orders to shut down. Most are residential homes that were rented out.
According to court documents, police received multiple community complaints regarding the property beginning in July 2021, with neighbors reporting the sale of drugs and firearms.
That same month, police surveilled the property on multiple occasions and witnessed traffic consistent with narcotics sales. Officers later conducted a controlled purchase of drugs at the home.
Police then executed a search warrant and recovered handguns, ammunitions, suspected narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
In August 2021, police received a tip that fentanyl and cocaine were being sold at the home. Officers again watched the home between August and December and witnessed more activity consistent with drug sales.
Once again, police conducted a controlled purchase of crack-cocaine at the home in December 2021. Another search warrant resulted in the recovery of cash, various types of drugs, multiple firearms and a number of high capacity gun magazines.
Klein added police have responded to multiple calls since January from neighbors about continued drug sales.
The court ordered that the tenants be evicted from the property and failure would result in the property owners in contempt of the order.