SWAT team foiled by camouflaged house

Months of hard investigative work all went down the drain today when SWAT team members were unable to locate the house listed on their high-risk search warrant. Investigators with the regional metro drug task force say this botched raid cost ten of thousands of dollars and has likely blown the cover of many undercover officers.

The debacle began about three years ago when investigators started working up the food chain of the area drug industry. Undercover officers took months to build the trust of low level street dealers. Then started to work within some gangs to build up their standing and identify who is who in the gangs.

Eventually investigators identified the gang leadership along with the hub of drug operations. A house on north Elm Street was identified as being where the gang was cutting product and repackaging it for street level dealers. This was also the place were the gang’s leader lived.

Late yesterday afternoon the final pieces of the puzzle for probable cause to get a warrant fell into place. A judge signed a warrant and the decision was made to serve the warrant at 5am, a time when the occupants of the house would be sleeping.

Just before 5am the SWAT team started to roll up Elm Street. “We were told the address was 436 N Elm. Going up Elm we saw 432, 434 then an empty lot and then 438. With how dark it is at 5am and the lack of street lights on Elm Street their ploy painting the house camouflage worked.”

Reports indicate that the SWAT team rolled up and down Elm Street four to six times looking for the house. The team commander eventually decided the warrant listed the wrong address and told the team to meet at an early morning breakfast buffet. The assumption was they could try again later once the right address was obtained.

Problem was the warrant had the right address they just could not see it. When they did return at about 7am the house was empty. “I guess someone in the neighborhood was awake and alerted the target that SWAT was driving up and down the street. You can tell they left in a hurry because there are a lot of things still in the house. Nothing though is of evidence value, mostly garbage, a couple of dirty mattresses and a musty old couch.”

Investigators don’t know where the gang would have relocated to. They will try to keep working the case but fear that some undercover officers might be suspected as narcs now.