Dallas Drug House Demolished

More than two dozen drug houses across the Dallas will be demolished.

Within minutes, the Texas National Guard's Counterdrug Task Force demolished 1234 Flanders St. in Oak Cliff on Thursday.

Residents came to know it as a drug house after the owner died.

Saul Orozco, 24, who has lived his entire life on Flanders Street, has lived next door for the past two years.

"It just brings crime," he said. "It just doesn't look good in the neighborhood."

For a decade, the counterdrug task force has destroyed drug houses during Operation Crackdown.

Money from drug seizures fund four missions that are completed every year. Each mission lasts two weeks.

"They know that we're trying to make it cleaner for them and give them better living conditions," Master Sgt. Marcus Wilkins said.

Thursday's demolition is the first of 25 for this mission. The task force also tries to prevent drug houses by doing community outreach.

"When we do this, we do go and talk to the kids about saying no to drugs and making good grades in school and making good decisions later in life," Capt. Samantha Martinez said.

Orozco is just glad that he won't have to see the drug house next door any more.

"Now that it's gone, there's more space for improvement," he said.

This is the third year Dallas has participated in the program.