'Block busting' breaking up neighborhoods

EDMONTON, Alberta, March 27 (UPI) -- Canadian speculators are prospering as Edmonton's narcotics trade forces homeowners to sell their homes cheaply to get away from drug houses, police said.

So-called block busting is becoming so pervasive that the Edmonton Police Service plans to sponsor a training session this spring so officers can spot the scheme's signs before it destroys a neighborhood, The Edmonton Sun reported.

"This is a real issue," Edmonton police official Ryan Lawley said.

The newspaper said it works this way: A real estate speculator will buy a house then rent it to a drug dealer. The associated noise, fighting and increased petty crime drive down the property values. When neighbors put their homes on the market, speculators quietly buy them up -- often at lesser price -- then renting out to other undesirables to further drive down values, the officer explained.

Ultimately, the speculators sell the properties for redevelopment and make millions, Lawley said.

Asked if block busting was an organized plot, Lawley said, "I think it would be naive to say no. They definitely have a focus and a goal."