Drug buy in the city

Castanet goes undercover to buy drugs, guess who owns the house . . . Kelly Hayes reports.

Anna Stein likes to keep the music loud so she doesn't have to listen to the noise coming from upstairs.

Stein lives in a basement suite in Kelowna, where her past time has become finding her piece of mind.

She lost it when she moved in to the apartment just over a year ago. The battle with her upstairs neighbour started shortly after moving in.

First it was the relentless noise, and then the cars started showing up. This prompted to Stein to pick up her camcorder an begin keeping detailed logs of the traffic.

"People come in for a minute or two or three and then they leave," says Stein. The constant parade of people led Stein to suspect her neighbour is a drug dealer.

With video and detailed logs, damning evidence Stein thought, she lodged a complaint with the Tenancy Branch, but they sided with her neighbour, saying a person can have as many friends as they want.

Stein then went to the RCMP, but was told she didn't have any proof.

So, is Stein's neighbour a drug dealer? Castanet reporter Kelly Hayes decided to find out.

Complete with a hidden camera, Hayes visited the apartment.

Despite having never met, Hayes first knocked on the door, then entered and asked the woman inside if he could purchase some marijuana.

After some initial reluctance, the woman not only sells Hayes the pot, but also offers him a phone number should he need more.

A transaction is completed and Hayes exits the apartment with a couple of grams of marijuana.

"I walked in there unannounced, she didn't know me, hesitated to sell, ultimately I convinced her, and that confirms our story that the tenant upstairs is selling drugs, namely marijuana," says Hayes.

Now armed with indisputable evidence, Stein and the landlord, who tried to have the tenant evicted, now have proof that the tenant is dealing drugs.

The landlord is the City of Kelowna.

"If there is criminal activity then we will turn over any information we have over to the RCMP for them to investigate," says Ron Forbes, City of Kelowna Property Manager.

"Then it's the RCMP's choice whether they continue to investigate or not."

Stein suggests the city knew there were problems at that house, but never told her.

"I got told this is a quiet place, there's two working people upstairs and no pets, and totally the opposite showed up."

And then there was the letter mix up.

"I was sick to my stomach," says Stein.

The letter from the City of Kelowna telling Stein there was nothing they could do regarding her complaint was sent to her upstairs neighbour instead.

The letter also goes on to say that the file has been turned over to the RCMP.

A major mistake which to this day has left Stein living in fear, but determined not to move and determined to win back her peace of mind.