Milwaukee sues landlord over drug dealing at properties

The City of Milwaukee has sued another landlord, accusing this one of turning a blind eye to drug dealing at two of her properties on the south side.

Leticia Gomez owns at least 28 properties in the city, but the lawsuit focuses on two: 2478 and 2479 S. 5th Place.

The complaint was filed last week in Milwaukee County Circuit Court after police searched those houses in February.

During the search, police found people linked to drug activity who had been located at Gomez’s other properties in 2014 and 2015.

“The intentional or negligent shuffling of bad players from property to property and the continued nuisance drug activity ... interferes substantially with the comfortable enjoyment of life, health and safety of others,” the lawsuit says.

Since May 2012, Milwaukee police have given Gomez at least 13 notices of public nuisance letters, informing her of drug activity on her properties.

In addition, police have contacted her at least 10 times over the past three years to discuss the drug and nuisance activity at properties. At those meetings, Gomez was given information on tenant screening and how to stop the activity.

In February, officers searched two of her properties and found crack cocaine, marijuana and guns.

During the month before the search, Milwaukee police conducted undercover surveillance and controlled drug buys at 2479 S. 5th Place. In that time, officers also saw a high amount of pedestrian and vehicle traffic consistent with drugs activity, as well as hand-to-hand sales.

At a news conference Thursday, Aldermen Tony Zielinski, Bob Donovan and Jose Perez, who represent the city’s south side, credited residents for speaking out about problem properties. They urged residents to continue to reporting issues to police and aldermen.

“It starts with the residents,” Donovan said in an interview. “I want them to know that the reason we went after this landlord originally was because of the complaints generated from citizens, so their voices are being heard.”

City officials hope to shut down these properties through the legal system and then sell them.