A Kirkland resident entered a not guilty plea in King County Superior Court on Oct. 22 in connection with a raid on his home earlier this month.

Trygve Lief Bjorkstam, 54, is charged with buying, manufacturing and selling methamphetamine and heroin out of his home on the 14000 block of 108th Ave. NE in Kirkland.

During the Oct. 4 raid, police from Kirkland and Redmond found drug paraphernalia strewn inside of the house, as well as 26 firearms that included AK-47s, pistols and a sawed-off shotgun, according to police records.

The drug operation was just 300 feet from Helen Keller Elementary and so close that a school zone traffic sign is posted outside the residence.

Police also discovered an entrance to a bunker located underneath his house inside his bedroom. Initially designed to be a marijuana grow operation, Bjorkstam admitted he has used it as a shooting range. Upon further inspection, police determined that the guns had been fired while aimed at a neighbor’s house across the street.

The Redmond police first began investigating the residence in August after receiving information from people claiming narcotics were being sold there, in addition to stolen property. Surveillance on the house for several months showed people enter the house for short periods of time and then leave, which they concluded was consistent with distribution of drugs.

A confidential police informant later made two purchases from Bjorkstam, noting his habit of carrying at least one firearm on his person at all times, which Bjorkstam claimed was intended to deter any potential robbers, according to court documents.

After collecting the necessary evidence for a search warrant, the Redmond police carried out the raid on a Saturday when activity at the elementary school and nearby daycare centers would be minimal and lower the risk of danger to children.

The Redmond Pro Act Unit performed additional surveillance starting at 4 a.m. on Oct. 4 and then served the search warrant at 6 a.m., according to Redmond officer Matt McAdam.

“We understood the sensitivity to the community based on the location of the school and the daycares close by, and we got our search warrant as soon as we had enough information for that,” said Redmond Lt. Martin Fuller.

After the raid was carried out, Bjorkstam was arrested inside. Fuller said the men inside the home cooperated with police and there were no problems during the raid. Bjorkstam was read his Constitutional rights and then waived them, giving the police the combination to his safe. Among the drug paraphernalia allegedly found in the home included a frying pan with heroin, baggies containing crystal meth, capped and uncapped needles and pieces of used aluminum foil, the documents continue.

Also detained during the raid was Seattle Sonics former NBA center Robert Swift, 28, according to Kirkland police. He was not arrested or charged with any crime pertaining to the raid.

Fuller noted that neighbors came out of their homes, approached the members of the police agencies and thanked them for getting the job done.

“It’s been going on for awhile and they were having to live next to it,” McAdam said.

Despite no criminal convictions, Bjorkstam’s address has been the site of more than 40 police incidents in the past five years since they took over from the King County Sheriff’s Office following the 2011 annexation of Juanita, according to the documents. Most of these incidents took place during the last year.

The incidents ranged from domestic violence disputes with his 45-year-old girlfriend, to tenants who either had outstanding warrants or whom Bjorkstam fought with over rental agreements. It was during these repeated calls that police learned about the cameras installed on his property, the firearms he possessed and the alleged drug activity. The documents also reveal neighbors had repeatedly called the police to report suspicious drug activity.

Kirkland Police Department spokesperson Mike Murray stated that Bjorkstam was never arrested prior to the raid because none of the previous incidents provided sufficient evidence and no one was willing to testify against him.

Murray said they turned the investigation over to Redmond Police’s Pro Act unit when they suspected drug deals were being carried out at the home. The Kirkland Police Pro Act unit was eliminated several years ago due to budget cuts, according to Murray.

Redmond’s Pro Act Unit, which consisted of five members of the Redmond police force along with three of its detectives on Oct. 4, has been in existence for about nine years and began when there was a rash of automobile thefts in King County.

“This is an example of one of the many cases that we have the ability to work,” McAdam said.

The Pro Act Unit conducts investigations with crimes related to auto theft, car prowl, burglary, identity theft, property and low-level drugs. Pro Act works collaborative investigations with nearby agencies and regional partners, including the Eastside Narcotics Task Force.

Redmond Reporter editor Andy Nystrom and Kirkland Reporter staff member TJ Martinell also contributed to this report.