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A group of crack cocaine addicts seek shelter from the rain, in 'Cracolandia' (Crackland in English), in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 14. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)
Brazilian drug bosses in Rio de Janeiro are lining up to ban the selling and dealing of crack cocaine, saying that it has an adverse affect on families and communities, according to an exclusive report from The Associated Press over the weekend.
Crack cocaine was only introduced to Rio—the site of the next Summer Olympics in 2016—around six years ago, and has produced throngs of addicts who mainly dwell in the city’s slums. According to the report, drug bosses have had enough.
One drug boss, said to be second-in-command of the Mandela slum where crack used to be a bountiful commodity, spoke to AP but his name was not used since he is wanted by police. ‘Crack has been nothing but a disgrace for Rio,” he said adding that “it’s time to stop” the endemic.
Despite making considerable profits from selling the highly addictive drug, he says he is now turned off by its impact. “I see this misery” when people get addicted, he said.
“I’m a human being too, and I’m a leader here. I want to say I helped stop this,” he said.
However, for a citywide ban to go in effect, another rival drug gang would need to agree with the bosses in charge of the Mandela slum.
Attorney Flavia Froes told AP that other gangs have signed up to stop the sale of the drug as well.
“They’re joining en masse. They realized that this experience with crack was not good, even though it was lucrative. The social costs were tremendous. This wasn’t a drug for the rich; it was hitting their own communities,” she was quoted as saying.
She added, “Today we can say with certainty that we’re looking at the end of crack in Rio de Janeiro.”
