Brasilia, 13 April 2021 - In the morning of this Twesday, during a side event to the 64th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), in Vienna, Austria, Brazil presented to the international scene the innovations that it has been making in the area of drug policies.
The online debate showed how the assets seized from drug trafficking have been used to finance the implementation of public policies to reduce drug supply and demand. Among these initiatives, it was highlighted the pilot project of the Center of Excellence for the Reduction of Illicit Drug Supply (CoE), a partnership between the National Secretariat for Drug Policy of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (SENAD/MJSP), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Attended by about 150 participants, the panel was conducted by the Director of Public Policy and Institutional Articulation of the SENAD/MJSP, Gustavo Camilo Baptista.
Decapitalization of the organizations
The General Police Coordinator for Drug and Criminal Factions Repression of the Federal Police, Police Chief Elvis Secco, opened the presentation showing how the Federal Police has been working to decapitalize criminal organizations in Brazil. In 2020, according to Secco, the Federal Police reached a record of R$1,279.9 billion in crime asset sequestration.
To attack the top of the pyramid of criminal organizations, the FP has operated with strategies from the change of paradigms that seek the sequestration of assets, the arrests of leaders, coordinated actions, and the consequent disarticulation of organized crime.
For this, the Federal Police has also used international cooperation: "Our goal with international cooperation is the high level of information exchange. We need to identify the financial flows and not just a controlled delivery. If you want to fight organized crime, decapitalize it," said Secco.
Asset Management
Afterward, the National Secretary of Drug Policy (SENAD/MJSP), Luiz Roberto Beggiora, spoke about the management of assets seized by police forces and the financing of policies to strengthen public security agencies, and the reduction of drug supply.
Beggiora mentioned new legislative mechanisms such as the early disposal, from 2019, which allows the sale of the asset within 30 days after the seizure. "In terms of asset management, we went from an average of eight auctions per year until 2018, to 125 auctions in 2020 and 51 auctions in the first quarter of this year alone," he said.
According to the Secretary, the sale of these assets resulted in a collection of R$140 million in 2020, resources that have been allocated to initiatives such as training courses for security agents and the CoE pilot project.
Supply reduction
The CoE coordinator, Gabriel Andreuccetti, spoke about the work being done by the Center of Excellence, an unprecedented and innovative partnership between SENAD, UNODC, and UNDP to integrate data and strategies to reduce drug supply.
Andreuccetti presented the objectives of the CoE to provide the Brazilian State with scientific evidence in this area, such as the creation of a database, criation of new research, technical support to institutions, construction of professional training, analysis of public policies, and dissemination of data.
We will do this dissemination through periodic thematic bulletins, and the first one is about asset management of drug trafficking and decapitalization of organized crime. We made a partnership with the Asset Management Board of SENAD that allows the evaluation of GFUNAD [Management System of the National Anti-Drug Fund] and, by analyzing the data, we can evaluate the efficiency of this new process," he said.
Demand Reduction
Finally, the National Secretary for Drug Care and Prevention at the Ministry of Citizenship (SENAPRED/MC), Quirino Cordeiro Júnior, presented the new strategies for the reduction of drug demand in the country.
After showing indicators such as the increase of homeless people with mental disorders and the expansion of "cracolândias", Cordeiro mentioned the alternatives found to give direction to the situation, such as the National Drug Policy and New Drug Law, both of 2019.
"Among the actions to reduce drug demand in Brazil, one of the great innovations was the expansion of the assistance network for drug addicts and their families, including community-based services, hospitalization, and welcoming people with chemical dependency based on their real needs," explained the Secretary.
About CND
The UN Economic and Social Council established the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in 1946 as the central United Nations body for drug policy. The Commission enables member states to analyze the world drug situation, to follow up on the decisions of the 22nd Special Session of the General Assembly on drug issues, and to take action at the global level within its scope. The Commission also monitors the implementation of the three international drug control conventions and is competent to act in all areas related to the purposes of the conventions, including the inclusion of substances on international control lists.
Watch the full event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiFU88QeCIc
Learn more: http://www.agenda2030.com.br/
