Wayne County Prosecutor Drug House Unit
Wayne County Prosecutor
Drug House Unit
The Drug House Unit is a team of lawyers, paralegals, support staff, and investigators, charged with the task of shutting down drug house operations by instituting court actions against properties involved in narcotic trafficking. The purpose of these lawsuits is to have these properties declared a nuisance, and then obtaining remedies such as padlocking or forfeiting the properties pursuant to an order of the Wayne County Circuit Court.
Drug houses are identified by the continuous monitoring of executed search warrants and their results. Based on the level of drug activity, warning letters are sent or lawsuits are filed.
All DHU cases are assigned to a specialized docket at the Wayne County Circuit Court. Sometimes, these lawsuits are settled if the property owner is willing to agree to prevent any further drug activity, renovate the property if it is run down, and to take future steps to avoid the continuation of the nuisance condition.
In some cases, the property is seized and sold using the County internet auction site at http://waynecounty.com/wcauctions. In many cases, the property owner, land contract seller, or bank will agree to the sale and a division of the sale proceeds, after payment of taxes, water bills, and expenses.
If the property needs to be seized, specially trained teams of Prosecutor Investigators will conduct a raid, arresting the drug dealing inhabitants, and overseeing the cleanout and board up of the property. When sold, the new owner is obligated to rehabilitate within a negotiated time frame. The results are nothing short of dramatic.
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This project enjoys the support of community groups, homeowners, and the general public, and has proven to be a valuable part of the continuing effort to stabilize and upgrade neighborhoods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I report a Drug House?
A. Call our hotline, at (313) 224-6688. Specific information is very helpful, including the proper address, descriptions of the drug dealers, hours of operation, and license plate numbers and descriptions of vehicles involved.
Q. What will happen next?
A. The information will be forwarded to the proper authorities, who will conduct surveillance, and if there is sufficient probable cause, ask a Judge for a search warrant. Following the drug raid, we will screen the case to determine what level of intervention is needed.
Q. I received a letter from the Prosecutors Office, telling me that my tenants are selling drugs and that my house could be subject to seizure. I have not done anything wrong, why should I suffer?
A. The legal theory of Nuisance focuses on the harm being caused to the surrounding community from the wrongful conduct occurring on a particular parcel of land. If you have interest in the land, you are a proper party and you should call the contact number in the warning letter to make arrangements to confirm that you are making your best efforts to rid your property of drug activity.