Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced that the city of Columbus obtained an emergency court order to shut down a drug house in the Hilltop, located on Amherst Avenue. Columbus police executed an order to board up the property on April 25. This is the fourth Hilltop-area drug house the city has shut down since January.
“Our Zone Team is working alongside CPD to build strong cases to shut down drug houses that threaten public health and safety,” said City Attorney Zach Klein. “By taking this drug house out of play, we’re ensuring safety, promoting accountability, and restoring opportunity for residents, businesses and the entire Hilltop community.”
According to court documents, CPD first received notice of an anonymous tip regarding narcotics at the premises in February 2019. In March 2019, CPD received a report of an accidental overdose at the property. Later that month, CPD received an anonymous narcotics complaint regarding the premises. CPD INTAC then made multiple controlled purchases of crack cocaine and later executed a search warrant of the premises.
On March 18, 2019 property owners were notified and informed of their duty to abate any nuisance activity at the premises.
On April 6, 2019, officers were dispatched to the property on report of a burglary.
CPD again received notice from concerned neighbors in October 2020 who reported narcotics activity had begun again at the property. Officers surveilled the premises and observed a vehicle associated with a known drug trafficker and member of a local street gang.
CPD responded to a number of calls for service between April and November 2021, including reports of a fight, drug activity and multiple disturbances at the property.
In November and December of last year, CPD INTAC made multiple controlled purchases of crack cocaine at the premises. CPD executed a search warrant of the premises, recovering over 36 grams of crack cocaine along with money from an earlier covert narcotics purchase and other drug paraphernalia.
In March 2022, CPD INTAC made a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from the premises.
The city shut down drug houses on Wheatland Avenue and Columbian Avenue in February 2022 and a property on Ogden Avenue in March 2022.
