Cambridge resident shocked to find bag of fentanyl on porch

When you walk through your front door, the last thing you expect is a bag of drugs sitting on your porch.

Unfortunately for neighbors in the Park Hill Road area of ​​downtown Galt, these events are becoming more and more frequent.

Ravi Baboolal has lived downtown for a few years, but never thought one of the deadliest substances on Cambridge’s streets would find its way to his front door.

“It’s becoming a reality now,” Baboolal said. “I know the neighborhood is starting to deteriorate, but I didn’t expect to find drugs in my home.”

Baboolal criticized the abandoned house at 44 Park Hill Dr. after squatters took over the property and began living in the empty building.

He said he was afraid to walk past the house for fear of being approached or his children seeing someone passed out on the lawn.

In the past 48 hours, the Cambridge resident has seen people knocking on his door at 1 a.m., stolen property and now a bag of fentanyl left by someone using it on his porch.

After finding the drug, Baboolal called police who came to examine the drug, confirming it was fentanyl.

“I have two young children and this is the worst case scenario. Imagine if one of my children found out about this. They would be dead,” he said.

Ward 4 Councilor Ross Earnshaw is familiar with the ward’s issues as he responds to calls about drug use and stolen property every week.

In a previous interview with CambridgeToday, Earnshaw said trying to clean up the area was not an easy task and often fell outside the purview of the city council.

“It’s certainly a sore point for these citizens and I hate to say it, but there’s not much we can do other than keep an eye on it,” he said.

Earnshaw has since arranged a meeting with bylaw officials to further discuss what can be done.

Baboolal said he and his neighbors were reaching a boiling point and there was only so much they could handle.

There is a house in the neighborhood that is constantly visited by the police and has become a lightning rod for neighbor attention.

“Just last night, the police raided this house again,” Baboolal said. “I checked my cameras and sure enough, when whoever was here on my porch left, they went straight into this house.”

Waterloo Regional Police Services could not confirm that a raid took place in Cambridge in the past 48 hours, but notes that if anyone discovers suspicious drugs, they should call police immediately.

“The public can contact police if they think they have found drugs, and an officer will attend to collect the drugs and dispose of them safely,” said Bradley Hickey, WRPS communications manager.

“Anyone who locates needles or discarded needles should contact the local municipality and they will coordinate collection and disposal.”

For now, police have asked Baboolal to make sure he has a door blocking his porch and not to leave his belongings out in the open.

“I don’t know what it will take to get anything done, but I know if this house burned down, I wouldn’t miss it.”