FREDERICTON NEIGHBOURHOOD MAY BUY LOCAL CRACK HOUSE

FREDERICTON (CP) - In many ways, the bungalow for sale on a quiet street in
Fredericton looks like an average starter home, except for the fortress-like
fence, steel-reinforced doors and windows, and surveillance cameras.

The house was a central sales depot for the city's burgeoning drug trade and
now that the traffickers have been brought to justice, the house itself is
up for sale.

It's hard to miss amid the modest bungalows and tidy properties of Murray
Avenue. Surrounded by a high fence with Beware of Dog signs and a front door
with a peephole, the property practically screams that it's a crack house.

In an effort to make sure the house isn't restored as a drug haven, there
are suggestions the local community buy the bungalow and put it to more
wholesome use.

"It has been done before in another part of the city where a group of
neighbours got together and purchased a residence," said Sgt. Tim Cain of
the Fredericton police, referring to another drug dealer's property.

"The citizens banded together, pitched their idea to the landlord, a price
was agreed upon and it was purchased by the neighbourhood association."

Cain said the neighbourhood group subsequently rented the house to
non-criminals.

City police are anxious to see the latest crack house permanently removed
from any drug dealer's address book.

The house has become a symbol of the city's battle against drugs.

Earlier this week, the drug ring that operated out of the Murray Avenue
bungalow was brought to justice. The four men involved all pleaded guilty to
trafficking charges and will be sentenced later this month.

Peter Warren, the leader of the operation, is already in prison and has been
running the drug business from the federal penitentiary in Renous, N.B. - a
fact that raised more than a few eyebrows.

But Cain said it's not surprising that a prisoner could run a criminal
operation from inside jail. In fact, he said, the prison atmosphere is
conducive to criminal pursuits.

"They're allowed to have their visitors and phone calls and information is
passed and we all know that prisons are a great place for contacts in the
criminal world," he said.

"So, yeah, you can still operate a business of that sort if you have your
people working for you on the outside and that's what he did."

The drug dealers incurred the full-blown wrath of city police, the mayor and
city council when one of them burned down the police mobile command unit.

Subsequent attempts to bring the dealers to justice included a raid on the
crack house.

"The house has a surveillance system of cameras, it has a large fence
surrounding the property and it has doors and windows fortified with steel
gates," Cain said.

"The idea was to cause a time delay for any entry by police. They also used
guard dogs."

People living in the area have been reluctant to speak publicly about the
house and its shady occupants, fearing retribution.

But local city Coun. Norah Davidson said there is interest in the idea of
buying the house, providing the money can be found.

"It would be a wonderful solution to the problem," she said.