Public Safety Minister Maxwell Burgess has quashed rumours that the building demolished in last week's crack house clamp down was not being used by drug dealers.

He revealed that, although a vagrant did occasionally sleep at the house on Harlem Heights, Hamilton Parish, the man's daughters, who are responsible for the property, gave written permission to knock it down after Police came up with conclusive proof that it was being used as a den of iniquity.

In Monday evening's ZBM news broadcast the station implied that the house was not a crack den and that an elderly gentleman lived there. The station's flimsy evidence came from a single interview with one resident who questioned whether or not the house was being used by drug dealers.

But ZBM reporter Vicky Abraham later admitted that the station had also been in contact with the owners of the house who confirmed that they had given the go ahead for the bulldozers to move in and that they thought the operation was a success. Despite this the station ran the story anyway. The Island's chief drugs officer, Chief Inspector George Jackson also blasted the station for being sensationalist, telling Abraham: "There is always two sides to the story''.

On Tuesday Mr. Burgess was forced to call an emergency press conference to dismiss the mis-report.

He said that the house was knocked down after an extensive undercover Police operation which discovered that the property was being used as a crack factory. Detectives also found that local prostitutes were using the building as a convenient place to take clients.

"Operation Globetrotter saw the arrest of seven people who were in the possession of drugs, four of which have pleaded guilty,'' the Minister said.

"These men had a team of men working for them and their modern technology was second to none. They were calculative in their approach.

"Police were able to confirm that the house was being used for the production of cocaine, the selling of cocaine and the use of cocaine as well as prostitution. We are satisfied that it was a crack house -- but it's a crack house no more.'' The Minister explained that, although Police were aware that the house was being used occasionally by the owner, his daughters had offered to take him in on the condition that he made "certain lifestyle changes''.

And he produced a letter from the two women giving Police permission to knock down the building.

He went on to explain that not all crack houses will be demolished. If they are in a reasonable condition they could be boarded up and eventually renovated. The Government will also get prior permission from the owners to knock down any other properties and provide compensation.

And he warned that last Wednesday's demolition job was just the first in a fresh wave of initiatives against drug dealers.

"There are two Bermuda's and, if you had asked me four weeks ago I would have said no, it's not a major problem,'' Mr. Burgess said. "But what I saw was unacceptable. I have had an eye opener and I don't like what I see and I'm not going to be looking at it for much longer.

"We have other areas under surveillance and I want to warn drug dealers that we will get them.''