How do you evict a pair of drug dealers

[Bobby Narinov]

I have a pair of tenants that are known by all tenants as the drug/pot dealers but no one is willing to testify.

Before they moved in, I checked their background and they had nothing bad. I could not talk to their previous landlord because they have been living with family before that and at a motel for the previous 6 months (maybe that should have been a red-flag to me but I do have tenants that came from a motel and are great tenants). On paper they both looked fine and the lady was due in several weeks and they wanted to have the baby in a better place than the ****** motel they were living at. I really wanted to help them.

The things started bad pretty much from the beginning.

Ten days after they moved in, someone broke their window and I had to replace it: about $300 - parts and labor - dual pane window replacements are not cheap. They claimed, it was not their fault because that happened while she was in labor and both were at the hospital. They refused to pay for the replacement so I intend to deduct it from their deposit.

One month in the tenancy another tenant called me to inform me that four people barged in the drug dealer's unit and one of them threatened to shoot him. After they left the wife called the police. When I talked to them, they were very aggressive, refused to take any responsibilities and claimed that they don't know who those guys were and what they wanted from her and her husband. She played the victims card: How dare you accusing me of something.

That is when i started to get complaints from my other tenants about the constant flow of people coming in the middle of the night on average one per hour. They stay inside for about 5 to 10 minutes and leave. I have talked to my drug dealer tenants but they were again very aggressive and told me that I am harassing them because they are very social and just have a lot of friends. And they are not dealing anything and anyway I have no proof of any wrong doing on their side.

I installed a 24hrs surveillance system with a camera pointing directly to the entrance of their and 3 other units. That is how I measured the flow of "friends" they were having. Because I cannot single them out I had to do it everywhere so this costs me over $2,000.00 for equipment and installation.

I talked with them again and I told them what my cameras have captured and gave them a 60 days notice to leave (breaking 12 months lease).

I did talk to the local police department and I was told that unless I see them exchanging drugs for money there is nothing they can do and suggested I call them next time I see something happening so they can catch them in the act.

The day I served them with the 60 days notice they told me that I cannot prevent them from doing their innocent internet business of selling cell phone batteries especially if it does not bother anyone. Then a guy popes out of their unit and says to my tenants "Thanks for the battery bro". That was at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. I am pretty sure you can find a cellphone battery elsewhere and a purchase does not have to take 10 minutes. 

The audacity pf those people, they are doing it in-front of the cameras and in front of me and they don't really care.

They have even been investigated by Child Protective Services that went through their unit and found nothing. So I guess they know how to hide their stuff.

I wonder what else can I do to get them out ASAP. I have tenants that are already trying to leave because of them.