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Feds respond to Detroit homeowners who say agents targeted wrong homes in raids

Posted at 6:58 PM, Sep 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-15 18:58:53-04

Federal Drug Enforcement Agency officers raided two homes on Detroit’s west side early Thursday morning and apparently come up empty with any evidence. 

Were they the wrong homes? The owners say, yes! 

We saw the paperwork they feds left behind, two Search and Seizure Warrants and two receipts for cash or other items seized. Both of those were blank.

Ellastine Dinigan and Linda Burgess live four doors apart on Mansfield. Linda and her husband Henry were just waking up when the raid happened. Ellastine was coming home from working overnight. 

Both had their front doors busted down and their homes ransacked. Both women say drug sniffing dogs were part of the search and they were met by some 40 officers with guns drawn. 

“Big lights and all I can see are guns in my face. I can’t even tell you how many guns,” Linda told 7 Investigator Jim Kiertzner. 

She said they handcuffed her hands behind her back and walked her outside without shoes on. 

“I said 'are you going to shoot me?' I did say that. They didn’t answer me. They just told me put my hands behind my back. I said, 'okay, okay',” she says.

Ellastine said the only possible probable cause they had is her son has packages delivered to her house. 

“Orders from Amazon. He has 2 kids, books videos. So it is the packages they thought you had stuff coming? Yes,” she said.

We contacted Detroit Police after business hours who contacted DEA. They will follow up with the two owners. 

A spokesman for The Detroit office of the Drug Enforcement Authority says two raids on Detroit's west side were not mistakes.  The spokesman says they are part of an ongoing investigation and will not comment any further.  

We showed you how the front doors on the two homes on Mansfield were busted down and the homes ransacked.  Both owners say they've lived there for decades and are not involved in any criminal activity.