Tracy resident Rui Silveira and his neighbors are frustrated with what they see as a lack of police action against alleged underage drinking and supposed drug use on a quiet cul-de-sac in southwestern Tracy, but police and the owner of the house say they are doing everything they can to stop the problem.

Silveira lives on Ballard Court, just off MacArthur Drive near Schulte Road, and says a party house just three doors down from his home has become a real problem over the past two years. About once a week, he and other neighbors call police to report what they suspect is underage drinking and drug use.

“I’m extremely frustrated,” he said. “We have all the information. We know laws are being broken … but nothing ever happens.”

The house is owned by Mike McQuilliams, a 51-year-old man who has lived on Ballard Court for about five years.

According to police, McQuilliams was cited for contributing to the delinquency of minors in mid-January. Officers were called to his house as recently as April 23 and as far back as September 2009, they said.

McQuilliams said the situation is being “way overblown” by “overzealous” neighbors. He said his 18-year-old son has friends over to the house often, but the traffic going in and out is “not troublesome.”

McQuilliams said the problem begins when his son has friends over after dark. He says he’s trying to stop the problem by “putting his foot down” and barring visitors late at night.

His neighbors have called police to report that quick drug deals happen throughout the day and at night from the house, and the traffic by car and on foot “never stops.”

McQuilliams said his son lives at the house only part-time, and he denies any allegations of drug use in his home.

Several residents, including Silveira, said someone on the cul-de-sac calls the police every week to complain about drug deals and underage partying, but nothing seems to change.

“Nobody’s doing anything about it, and that’s the most frustrating thing,” Silveira said.

Sgt. Tony Sheneman, spokesman for the Tracy Police Department, said McQuilliams has received warnings about allowing underage kids to drink in his house, which led to the official citation earlier this year.

The police have increased patrols in the area during the past couple of weeks, Sheneman said, and have talked with most of the neighbors in homes near McQuilliams’ house. He said Sgt. Terry Miller gave his phone number to several neighbors, but no one has called Miller directly.

“We’re doing everything that’s constitutionally possible to stop this,” Sheneman said. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Sheneman said there are signs of underage drinking and marijuana use, and the house is a place for young folks about 18 to 20 years old to party, though no one has ever been arrested there. He said there are no indications of other drugs being present.

Since the increase in patrols, he said, officers have made traffic stops on the street and have met with McQuilliams to talk about his neighbors’ complaints.

Silveira, who has lived on Ballard Court with his family for more than 16 years, said he has spoken with McQuilliams on several occasions — most recently last year — about the traffic in and out of his house and alleged illegal activity. He said he also approached some of the teenagers who visit the neighborhood to try to talk to them about his frustrations.

“I approach these kids, and they act like I’m the nuisance,” Silveira said. “They’re in my neighborhood creating this.”

He said the problems have gotten worse in the past month, and he and other neighbors are worried about the safety of the neighborhood.

“It’s like I constantly have to be policing this court,” he said. “It’s just a bad element coming into my neighborhood, and we can’t seem to be able to do anything about it.”

• Contact Tracy Press reporter Jaclyn Hirsch at 830-4269 or jhirsch@tracypress.com.