Properties rented to drug dealers, Milwaukee-area landlord accused

Feds: Man rented to drug dealers for kickbacks

Prosecutors accuse a Milwaukee-area landlord of renting properties to drug dealers in exchange for kickbacks and tipping off tenants to law enforcement.

MILWAUKEE - Federal prosecutors accuse a Milwaukee-area landlord of renting his properties to drug dealers in exchange for kickbacks and tipping off tenants to law enforcement.

Local perspective:

Investigators uncovered drugs, guns and cash after raiding at least four properties starting last year. Prosecutors said local landlord Sam Stair was at the center of it all. 

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Stair owns more than 150 rental properties – mostly on Milwaukee's south side and suburbs – through his company, S2 Real Estate.

According to prosecutors, Stair intentionally sought out renting properties to drug traffickers who'd use the properties as stash houses and trap houses – alleging it guaranteed him a steadier income than he would get otherwise.

Properties searched in large-scale federal drug investigation

Prosecutors said, in some instances, drug traffickers would manage rental units and find drug addicts to rent them to. If addicted renters couldn't pay the rent, drugs would be withheld. In some cases, drug traffickers were used as security and to carry out evictions.

The money would then be put into bank accounts for Stair's legitimate business, according to court filings. By January 2026, nearly $225,000 – almost a quarter of all rental payments – came from drug-associated properties.

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The sweeping investigation involved the use of confidential informants, undercover agents and wiretaps. In one instance, prosecutors said Stair tipped off renters of a West Allis bar that police were investigating drug activity.

Big picture view:

The scope and scale of the investigation is much larger, involving the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, Wisconsin Department of Justice, West Allis Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies.

In total, 18 people are facing federal drug charges in connection to the larger case. More charges could be on the horizon for lower-level members and associates of each drug trafficking organization.