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Keepingillegal drugs out of rental properties

A GUIDE FOR PROPERTY MANAGERS

Useful telephone numbers

Suffolk Police 01473 613500Crimestoppers 0800 555 111Crimestoppers is a way of passing information completely anonymously.

In an emergency always ring 999

If you would like any further advice or guidance on thissubject, you can speak with Suffolk Constabulary’s DrugReduction and Prevention Officer on 01473 613863, or e-mail: [email protected]

WARNINGIf you have reason to believe there is an illicit lab on a propertyand you have been exposed directly, leave immediately, washyour face and hands.

Call 999, request the police and report what you observed.

If you have reason to believe your exposure has been extensive,contact your doctor. Some of the chemicals involved in creatingthese drugs are toxic, corrosive and carcinogenic.

Suffolk Police would like to thank Derbyshire Police and the ACPO Drugs Standing Working Group for the content of this document.

Designed by the Publications Unit, Suffolk Police.

Keeping illegal drugs out of rental properties Keeping illegal drugs out of rental properties

A GUIDE FOR PROPERTY MANAGERS A GUIDE FOR PROPERTY MANAGERS

Contents

Introduction 3

The Costs of Drug Activity inRental Properties 4

Understanding the signs of DrugActivity in Properties 6

Cannabis Cultivation 12

Other Drug Cultivation Indicators 15

Deterring Drug Activity 18

Preventing Drug Crime 20

How to Report Suspected Drug Cultivation and Dealing 22



22 3

Introduction

Suffolk Police are working to develop ways of targeting drugcrime and solving problems such as fear of crime in thecommunity.

There is obvious concern about the negative effects that theuse, supply and production of illegal drugs can have on ourcommunities.

It is well known that organised crime gangs, particularly thoseinvolved in drug production, seek to distance themselves fromany illegal activity that could lead to them being arrested.

A convenient way of doing this is involvement in rentalpremises. This guide outlines how property managers,landlords and owners, can work with Suffolk Police to tackledrug problems in rental properties and thereby preventproblems for local residents.

There is no simple solution to the problem of illegal drug use,manufacturing or trafficking. We all need to work together tomake the community safer.

This guide contains information on some of the indicators thatmay show that synthetic drugs, such as amphetamine orEcstasy, may be being made in clandestine (secret/hidden)laboratories. Cannabis crops may be being grown indoors oroutdoors, or that drug trafficking is being conducted fromrental properties.

How to Report SuspectedDrug Cultivation and Dealing

Suffolk Police are experts in enforcing the Criminal Law. Theyare not authorities in Tenancy Laws. As such, if you havetenants involved in illegal activity, while you should inform thepolice, do not make the common, but inaccurate assumptionthat you can ‘Let the police sort it out’.

Always agree with the police what you, and they will be doing.

Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, the police will not be ableto take action and will ask you to use your Tenancy Agreementsto remove the persons from the property. Tenancy Laws areenforced by the parties in the relationship only.

You will get the best results from the police by providing anyinformation you can for their criminal investigation.

In order to get the best co-operation, work one-on-one with thesame police contact person.

Control traffic flowAnd access as a prevention step. People involved in drugactivity prefer ‘drive through’ parking lots - those with multipleexits. If a car park is private property have signs explaining thatthe parking is private, not public.

Encourage community involvementWhen neighbours complain about suspicious activity - takenotes of what they are saying.

Exchange phone numbers with neighbours Landlords or property managers may not hear of dangerous ordamaging activity on their property until neighbours have writtento the council to complain or until the police have served asearch warrant. Often such a situation could have beenprevented if the property manager and the local neighbours hadestablished better communication.



4 21

The Costs of Drug Activity inRental Properties

When drug criminals operate out of rental properties the localneighbourhood suffer, with property managers and landlords,paying a high price.

That price may include the following:

• Reductions in property values, particularly when the illegalactivity begins affecting the reputation of the neighbourhood.

• Adverse profile on the manager/company and reluctance of property owners to place their properties in the hands of themanager/company.

• Loss of rent, during eviction and repair periods.

• Fear and frustration, from dealing with hostile tenants.

• Property damage, arising from abuse, retaliation or neglect and increased property insurance premiums.



20 5

Preventing Drug Crime

Property managers may recommend these crime preventionsteps to improve the environment around the property:

Keep the property visibleTo increase the likelihood of illegal activity being observed.Actions that can be taken to increase natural surveillanceinclude keeping shrubs trimmed so they do not block windowsand porches, installing peepholes in front door for theprotection of tenants.

Use lightingConsider motion or light sensor lighting over all entrances andlow energy outdoor lighting along walkways. Apartmentcomplexes should have well lit walkways, activity and parkingareas.

Display dwelling numbersAnd/or building namesclearly so police mayfind the correct addressif called. High/low riseapartment blocksshould be numberedwith large, clearly visiblenumbers/names and bewell lit.

• Penalties, including asset seizure by police, loss of propertyuse and property damage resulting frompolice raids.

• Toxic contamination, and/or fire or floods in the propertyresulting from drug manufacturing or growing operations.

• Increased resentment, and anger between neighbours andproperty owners.

• Complaints, from neighbours which result in regular policeattendance.



6 19

Understanding the signs ofDrug Activity in Properties

Amphetamines (sometimes called ‘Speed’ or ‘Whizz’) come inmany forms: tablets, capsules, liquids, powders or crystal(sometimes called ‘Ice’).

Rented properties such as houses, garages, factory units andcaravans have all been discovered as sites for illegal drugmanufacturing and growing operations.

Although some laboratories are large scale, all the equipmentnecessary for making ‘speed’ may be assembled on a spaceno bigger than a kitchen table.

Once a criminal group has employed a ‘drug cook’, collectedthe chemicals and set up the equipment, it doesn’t take long toestablish a clandestine laboratory to make the drug.

Clandestine lab operators favour locations that offer extraprivacy. In rural settings, sheds or houses well away from otherresidences offer such privacy. In urban settings, labs may beset up in houses withplenty of surrounding treesand shrubs to block viewsof the interior, orapartment or hotel unitsthat are well away from theview of management.

The following advice will help to deter criminals fromattempting to rent your property:

• Use a form of photo identification of potential applicants.• Ensure identification has not been altered or is not fake.• Watch for telephone accounts in different names. • Check for water, gas and electricity accounts in different

names.• Require more than one type of identification for joint

applications.• Check prospective tenant’s current address.• Check prospective tenant’s rental history.• Obtain any mobile phone numbers of prospective tenants.• Obtain car registration numbers.

Be aware that many drug criminals use a ‘Front Couple’. Thesepeople will appear to be a genuine average respectable coupleseeking to rent a property for their own use. After they havebeen shown around the property by the landlord and takepossession of the property, they will disappear without trace.They will then be replaced by members of the drug gang whowill then convert the property for drug production or cultivation.

Consider re-visiting theproperty a few weekslater to ensure that theperson you rented to is infact the occupier.



18 7

Deterring Drug Activity

As part of your organisation’s screening process ofpotential applicants, be aware of the following:

An applicant’s willingness to pay rent months in advance,particularly in cashIf an applicant offers you 6 months’ rent in advance, resist theurge to accept, and require the person to go through theapplication process. By accepting cash without checking theapplicant’s background, you might have more money in theshort run, but your rental unitmay suffer damage and youmay also damage theneighbourhood and thevalue of your long-terminvestment.

A tenant’s tendency to pay in cash combined with a lack ofvisible means of supportSome honest people simply don’t like writing cheques.However, if other warning signs are noted, and tenants possesslarge amounts of cash with no apparent source of income, besuspicious.

Any request from the tenant for you not to visit the premisesOften they will give seemingly plausible explanations for thisrequest. This may be combined with a request to meet you topay the rent, rather than you visiting the address.

However, while seclusion is preferred, clandestine labs havebeen found in virtually all types of rental properties.

Therefore, any location, which allows for privacy, is suitable foruse as an illicit laboratory.

Poor standards of cleanliness and the chemicals used meansthe amphetamines produced often contain impurities harmful topeople.



8 17

The following may indicate illegal drug manufacturing in arented property:

Strong unpleasant or chemical odoursThe presence of a strong cat urine-like smell or ammonia smellwithin the rental property. This smell is very similar to cat boxodour and is unique to one method of methylamphetamineproduction.

Other odd chemical odoursThe smell of other chemicals or solvents not typicallyassociated with residential housing maybe present.

Strong smell of de-odourisers or Air FreshenersDrug producers will try to disguise the smell of their production.They will use commercial type automatic air fresheners, usuallynear the front entrance, to mask any smells from visitors tothe property.

Chemical containersChemical drums orother chemicalcontainers with theirlabels painted overmay be present.

LookoutsFrequently lookouts will be younger people who tend to hangaround the property during heavy traffic periods describedearlier.

Regular activity at extremely late hoursFor example, noise and visitors between midnight and dawn.

Other obvious signsThese signs may include people exchanging small packets forcash, people using drugs while sitting in their cars, andsyringes or other paraphernalia left in common areas or onneighbouring property.



16 9

FirearmsThe presence of weapons, of alltypes in the premises, mayindicate drug activity. Drugdealers typically sell smallquantities to many purchasers.Dealing locations are usually hightraffic locations with each personbuying a small amount of drugs.

Heavy trafficFor example, a number of cars and pedestrians stopping at ahome for only brief periods. Traffic may be cyclical, increasingon weekends or late at night, or minimal for a few weeks andthen intense for a period of a few days - particularly pay-days ordays on which benefit is collected.

Exchanges of money Cash and packets may be traded through windows, mail boxesor under doorways.

People bring valuables into the premisesVisitors regularly bring televisions, bicycles, DVD’s and cameras- and leave empty handed.

Waiting in cars and use of odd parking locationsVisitors may sit in their cars for a while after leaving a residenceor may leave one person in the car while the others visit. Visitorsalso may park around a corner or a few blocks away andapproach on foot.

Many empty containers of over-the-counter cold or allergy medicinesThe average cold sufferer may leaveone or two empty cold medicinecontainers in the bin. (for example –‘Sudafed’ tablets) The presence ofmany such emptied out boxes, bottlesor blister packs is a definite warning sign.

Duracell type Battery cases cut up, match striker plates torn offthe boxes, excessive amounts of coffee filters with red staining,are all indicators of drug production.

Large amounts of powderDrug producers use a variety of powders to ‘cut’ or adulteratetheir drugs, in order to increase their profits. These powdersmay stored be in tubs, sacks or boxes. They are usually inmulti-kilo amounts.

Any powder can be used, but substances such as – Glucose,Lactose, Caffeine, Lignacaine, Benzocaine or Paracetamol arecommon. These substances are either bought fromwholesalers, via the Internet, or stolen from legitimate suppliers.

The presence of any obvious evidenceThe presence of syringes, cannabis plants, very small plasticbags - the type in which jewellery or beads are sometimes kept- that are not generally used in used in large quantities by mostpeople, combined with other factors, should cause suspicion.



10 15

Chemistry equipmentThe presence of flasks, beakers and rubber tubing, like thoseused in high school chemistry classes, in rental units orgarbage. Few people practice chemistry as a hobby - if you seesuch articles, take it seriously.

Bottles or jugs used extensively for secondary purposesFor example, milk jugs and soft drink bottles or screw-topbottles full of unusual liquids.

Unusually sophisticated weighing scales, or Industrial typeMixersThe scales typically used by drug dealers, distributors andmanufacturers are noticeably more sophisticated and accuratethan household scales. Of course, there are legitimate reasonsto have such scales so don’t consider such a scale, by itself, anindication of illegal activity. This also applies to Mixers.

Tinfoil or baking soda or a largenumber of electrical extensioncordsTinfoil is used in growingoperations andmethylamphetamine production.Baking soda (Bicarbonate) isused in methylamphetamineproduction and in other drugprocesses such as conversion of cocaine into “crack”. Electricalextension cords are used in methylamphetamine labs andgrowing operations.

Other Drug CultivationIndicators

The following signs are more general. They could be indicatorsof various types of illegal drug activity including drugdistribution, manufacturing or growing.

Expensive vehicles People in extremely expensive cars regularly visiting renters whoappear less solvent may be significant.

Unusual fortification of a unitBlacked-out windows, the internal taping down of curtains,window bars, extra deadbolts, and expensive alarm systemsmay be significant. Notethat growing operators and‘drug cooks’, in particular,often add fortifications -extra locks, bars onwindows and thoroughwindow coveringsare typical.

Frequent visits to the premises, or trips away from thepremisesThis would be a significant sign only if the trips are made from alocation where other indicators of drug activity are observed.



14 11

Unusual fortificationby a tenant ofindividual rooms For example, tenantsputting deadbolts oralarms on interior doors.

A willingness to installexpensive - exteriorfortificationsIf your tenant wants to install window bars or fit extra locks todoors they may be interested in more than preventing burglary.Sometimes heavy metal bars or pieces of wood may be used toblock entry through front and rear doors. The presence of suchitems in hallways or kitchens should set alarm bells ringing.Damage to walls, paint or wallpaper behind doors is a sign thatsuch temporary re-enforcements are being used.

Smoke breaksIf other suspicious signs are present, individuals leaving thepremises to smoke a cigarette may also be an indicatorbecause chemicals are highly explosive. ‘Drug cooks’ mustleave the lab before lighting up.

Infrequent occupation Neighbours may notice that the residents of a property are notliving full-time at the address, and are only visiting for a shorttime each day, or visiting every couple of days.

Gas CylindersCarbon Dioxide (CO2) is used to enrich the atmosphere incultivation rooms.

Rewiring efforts or bypassed circuitryAgain, growing operations require a lot of electricity. The extracircuitry for growing operations generally exceeds the powerrating for the rental property and can burn out the wiring,resulting in fires or the need to rewire the property before youcan rent it out again.

Scuffed paint or wallpaper Indicating regular visits are being made to the loft.

Bin bags full of vegetablematerial being thrown awayThe stalks and roots of cannabisplants are discarded when theplants are cropped. Plant potshaped root balls may bedumped in the garden.

Other obvious signsOther indicators include basements or cavities filled with plants,lights and reflective material (e.g. tinfoil) used to speed growing.You may also notice ‘spares’ (Bulbs, Lights) or Bags of soil (orPeat or Coco shells), or fertilizers stored in hallways, sheds orgarages etc.

Cannabis Cultivation

Cannabis (marijuana/grass/weed/pot/skunk etc.) growingoperations are hard to identify from the street. These operationsare more likely to be found in houses rather thanapartments as more space is needed to growcannabis crops.

In addition to the general signs of excessive fortifications oroverly paranoid behaviour, some other signs of growingcannabis are listed below.

The following indicators may observed:

Electrical wiring that has been tampered withFor example, evidence of residents tampering with wiring andhooking directly into power lines.

Powerful lights on all day or night in the attic, roof space,basement or other roomsGrowers use powerful (600 watt) lights to speed up thedevelopment of the cannabis plants.

Windows blacked outThe use of black plastic or heavy fabric on windows (Usuallyhidden by nets curtains or blinds so as not to look suspiciousfrom the street) may be an indicator.



12 13

A sudden jump or fall in electricity billsAs mentioned above, growing operations require speciallighting, which will increase utility costs. Some growers will oftendivert the electricity or tamper with the meter to reduce theircosts.

High Humidity in a UnitGrowing operations require a lot of moisture. In addition tofeeling the humidity, landlords may observe peeling paint ormildewed wallboard or carpet. Heavy condensation at thewindows may also be seen.

Large ducting tubesThese look like domestic ‘Tumble Drier’ outlet tubes, but areusually larger and silver coloured. They are used to either takethe hot air out of the property, or bring fresh air in. They may beseen protruding out of a window.