Residents of a public housing block in Reid in the inner north are living in fear as allegations drug dealers have moved from one unit to another over more than a year.
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The allegations were aired by Opposition housing spokesman Mark Parton in the ACT Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, where he also controversially named the block at Jerilderie Court in Reid.
ACT Police also raided one of the properties related to the allegations of drug dealing on Wednesday, seizing cash, a variety of substances believed to be illegal and prescription drugs and suspected stolen property.
The police also seized a number of weapons including a taser, crossbow, batons, knuckle duster and ammunition.
A 53-year-old man will face the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday on 16 charges including possessing prohibited weapons, possessing prohibited substances, trafficking in controlled substances, possessing declared substances, and possessing suspected stolen property.
Despite the raid and arrest, the resident said while there were helpful staff in Housing ACT for some things, removing specific individuals had been a problem.
It comes as one resident, who has asked to remain anonymous to protect their identity, spoke out about a series of incidents at the flats ranging from allegations of stabbings to drug dealing.
The resident said they had witnessed increasingly anti-social behaviour in the past 20 months at the block they had lived in for more than a decade.
Despite raising it with Housing ACT, which owns and manages the property, and Housing Minister Yvette Berry, the resident said they had seen little action on the problems.
One of the key issues in recent months had been allegations a couple who may be selling drugs out of units in the complex had been forced to move out of one unit, only to moved three times into others' homes in the complex.
The resident claimed they had made threats of violence against other residents, while still others had been involved in a stabbing in recent months.
The issues were raised in an Opposition attack on the government in Question Time on Wednesday, but Ms Berry told the Assembly police were now investigating.
Despite at least one resident writing to Ms Berry directly on the matter, she told the Assembly she was not aware of the specific details, though she did know about there being problems at the complex and that police were investigating.
Mr Parton and other Opposition politicians claimed there were potentially dozens of local residents that had complained to the government about anti-social problems, but it was unclear what had been done.
But Mr Parton, who had apparently promised Ms Berry he would not name the specific complex publicly, did so during Question Time.
That apparent slip of the tongue led Ms Berry to hit out at the move, given both Mr Parton and Opposition Leader Alistair Coe had pledged not to do so.
Mr Parton later apologised in the Assembly for the mistake, saying that in the flurry of debate he had mistakenly named the location, though he said he was dismayed by Ms Berry's response, as it was an honest mistake.
While Ms Berry had confirmed there was a police investigation under way into one or more incidents at the Reid public housing block, it is unclear what the scope or focus of that is.
