ARE YOU LIVING NEXT DOOR TO A DRUG DEN?

LANDLORDS in Dorset are being urged to remain vigilant and not turn a
blind eye if they suspect people are dealing drugs from their premises.

Rented properties can be a convenient way for criminals and organised
gangs to operate illicit drugs laboratories and hide their drug
production from public gaze.

In many cases the prospective tenants have paid up front in cash and
often cause considerable damage to a property and leave the landlord
with a huge clean-up operation.

In the last two months, police in Bournemouth and Poole have
discovered a number of cannabis factories in the two boroughs
operating in rented accommodation.

Now Dorset Police has produced a comprehensive guide to landlords on
how to keep illegal drugs out of rented properties. It is part of
Dorset Police's Operation Dismantle, an initiative aimed at tackling
drug supply and reducing drug-related crime.

Letting agents and private landlords have a legal and ethical
responsibility to ensure their properties are not being used for
criminal activity. advertisement

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 they can receive a maximum of 14
years in prison, and/or a fine, if they allow the production of a
controlled drug to take place in rented accommodation. There is also
the potential for a premises to be seized or forfeited. Landlords can
also be prosecuted for money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Landlords can pay a high price for allowing a property they own to be
used for drug production. It can lead to a loss of rent and income,
potential reduction in property value and when selling the property
you have to disclose to future buyers the premises has been used for
the production of a controlled drug.

If you suspect your property is being used in the production of
cannabis, look out for:

# A strong, pungent small coming from the property

# Electrical wiring that has been tampered with

# Booby traps. Electrical wiring may have been rigged up to door handles etc

# Powerful lights left on in the house throughout the night

# Windows blacked out # A sudden jump or increase in the cost of
electricity bills

# Scuffed paint or wallpaper

# Large quantities of bin bags, full of vegetable material, thrown away

# Rewiring efforts or bypasses circuitry

The production of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine (crystal
meth), amphetamine (speed), LSD and MDMA (Ecstasy) is incredibly
dangerous. Most chemicals required are readily available but the
process involved in producing them is extremely volatile. Productions
of these drugs can be small scale and may not necessarily take over a
whole house or apartment.

The signs to look out for are:

# Large amount of chemicals

# Coffee filters

# Boxes of red matches

# Stripped battery cases

# Cold or allergy medicines

# Strong or unpleasant chemical smells such as ammonia

# Chemistry equipment such as glass flasks, chemical reactors etc

Superintendent Stuart Katon of Bournemouth and Poole division said:
"We would encourage all private landlords and social housing to be
vigilant and act responsibly in relation to the running of their
properties. It is an offence to allow your premises to be used for
the cultivation of any controlled substance and any landlords found
turning a blind eye may be prosecuted."

He said landlords and letting agents should remain vigilant when
letting out rented premises. They should never accept rent in cash
and ask for bank account details, always check references and
backgrounds and be suspicious if a tenant never allows access or
refuses access to certain rooms.

Signs of drug dealing can also include frequent antisocial behaviour
at, or near, the address, obvious signs of drug dealing taking place
at the property such as visitors calling during all hours of day or
night and drug paraphernalia left outside the address.

Richard Price, of the National Landlords Association, owns a number
of rented properties in the Bournemouth and Poole area.

He said: "It is very important that people take references and
addresses of prospective tenants. I would also recommend that people
are careful about taking cash. I have in the past had offers from
people wanting to pay for six months' rent up front in cash - that
rang alarm bells immediately."

He added that information is also shared between the Bournemouth
Responsible Landlord and Tenant Accreditation Scheme and Dorset Police.