Brazil gov’t unveils initiative to seize goods owned by drug dealers

Brazil’s Minister of Women, the Family, and Human Rights Damares Alves talked Monday (Jan. 31) during an interview on Sem Censura, aired on TV Brasil, about the inter-ministerial efforts against drug trafficking.

The government, Minister Alves said, plans to turn goods owned by drug dealers into benefit for centers caring for people with substance abuse disorder. The move, she added, will make a direct impact on drug traffickers, as they will have their possessions confiscated by the government. “Drug trafficking must be stopped in Brazil,” she stated.

“[Drug dealers] will think twice if they really start losing money. On the other hand, this has been a blessing for groups that work preventing drug use in Brazil,” the minister declared.

Alves also underscored the role of shelters and support centers for people with substance abuse disorder. “The therapeutic communities, restoring lives in Brazil for 70 years, have the right to own the car of a drug dealer, which was used to cause addiction in a boy who’s now going to the therapeutic community for recovery,” she explained.