Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Rio's Most Powerful Drug Gangs are Banning Crack!

http://www.komonews.com/news/national/Rios-most-powerful-drug-gang-bans-crack-166763636.html?tab=video&c=y
Red Command Rio Gangsters Banning Crack??? Wow!

25 comments:

  1. I feel like it is pretty bad when a gang known for selling drugs is banning a particular drug. They feel that this drug is ruining their community and such when really, any drug is going to ruin a community. Part of me also feels that they do have some sort of care for their home and don't want to see it go completely down the drain, just enough to keep them in power.

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  2. Ok so when a drug dealer says that it time to stop selling crack then it must be serious. Drug dealers are notorious for not caring what happens to people when they use drugs. Most are only worried about the money that they make from every sale. The dealers say that it has become too dangerous to continue selling which I think is funny because selling drugs overall is very dangerous but if it is possible that dealing drugs could get any more dangerous is crazy to me. The ban of crack is coming from some of the biggest drug dealer in that community is it possibly that there is about to be a change for the good. If these dealers possibly make a change in their career choices then those community could see a big change in their community lives.

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  3. What an awesome thing to see; all these drug dealers are coming together to stop the selling of crack. However I’d have to agree with Chief Duarte, these guys are stopping because of their benevolent heart. It most likely is too big of a problem to handle. The civilians and police both posed a threat to the trade. Now how long this will last is hard to tell. The Olympics and the soccer game is what lit a fire under the police to get these drugs out. I’m wondering if these poor souls will even get help or just disposed of. From what I understand Brazil isn’t third world, but I do know that police in other countries can get away with more shady actions than the U.S. I know this from personal experience, due to my extravagant and luxurious travels to the Middle East. My guess is most of the addicts will be thrown in jail, or killed. They can’t have these types hanging around while visitors are in town it’s bad for business. As for the drug dealers, the wealthy ones, will most likely just conform to normal society, or move to another country and live. In my opinion it’s a sad outlook for Rio crack addicts.

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  4. To actually hear something like this get’s me thinking about how different this world would be if we were free of all those drugs we have today. When I read this story I honestly could not believe what I was reading. It is very hard for me to actually believe that huge drug lords would out of nowhere decide not to sell crack. If only the entire drug lords around the world would think like the ones in Rio, they say they see the harm that crack does to their people including one of the lords siblings who was in the Air Force but got addicted to crack. If the drug lords really keep their word of not selling anymore crack that will the city better, but in the other hand I think the police chief makes a very good point. Police chief says the drug lords are only saying they will stop selling crack to get the police off their back. This actually makes sense because the drug lords make millions of dollars selling crack and I highly doubt they will give up that much money just because they feel bad for what crack does to people. I hope the drug lords will keep their word for the sake of the people of Rio.

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  5. It is sickening to hear that these big drug lords are now distributing crack around the world. These drug lords do not care about anyone but themselves. They know that crack is going to mess up peoples lives, but they don't care as long as they don't get caught and get paid. They will screw others lives up to sure themselves money and luxuries because they are heartless people. But, the fact that they say they will stop selling crack if the police leaves them alone is a big step in the right direction and hopefully we can start here and continue to get the drug lords to stop their distribution of all drugs.

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  6. In the United States crack cocaine is known as the poor man’s drug, since crack cocaine is cheaper to buy than cocaine. I find it very interesting how a drug that started in the United States has traveled all the way to Brazil. It seems in a sense that Brazil is facing the same crack epidemic that the United States faced when crack cocaine was first introduce in the early 80’s. Even though drug dealers have realized how crack cocaine has destroyed their families and communities, they still continue to sale other drugs. I don’t believe that the ban of crack cocaine would make the favelas any safer, since the ban of one drug is not going to stop the violence that these areas have. I believe that the drug dealers are more worried of making a profit and having steady customers. My reasoning for this is because crack cocaine is known to be abused by lower income individuals, since crack cocaine is cheaper to buy. If crack cocaine is used mostly by individuals who do not have a steady income, the drug dealers would not have a steady profit, so I believe that the drug dealers want to attract individual that are addictive to less addictive drug such as marijuana and cocaine, since these drugs have been known to be abused by individuals with a steady income. In addition, I believe that the crack use in the Brazil will not be eliminated, as the article states, the addicts would just move from one favela to another looking for their fix, which in a sense the use of crack cocaine would just continue to spread. To conclude, if there is a market for it, there is going to be a profit for it. It is just basic economics of supply and demand.

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  7. How astonishing to hear that a drug boss went through a change of heart. So in the end a single leader of the drug fraction came to realize on how damaging crack is to a society if left unchallenged. What has happened in Rio de Janeiro might be a start of a new era for their people. Especially since the banning of crack has occurred in the second largest city Brazil. I can’t go over on how unbelievable to know that drug lords are banning crack for the sake of the greater good.. An event like is quite pondering. I wonder if the banning of crack in one major city will cause a chain reaction or influence more gangs to follow after the largest gang’s footsteps. Now only time will tell if the other two leading gang fractions will sacrifice the selling of crack to help Rio De Janerio redeem itself, even if the process takes many years. They say one man can change it all; maybe these drug lord actions might only impact Brazil. It might be possible the news of a devastating drug being banned by criminals might make others think twice about the troubles selling crack brings to any society. Cause if a criminal is taking a step towards combating a drug, then that alone should paint a strong image on how the selling of cocaine must be stopped. Hopefully the entire city will mold into a city appealing for the Olympics in a few years.

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  8. Wow, drug dealers are actually coming together to put a ban on crack. No, not the government, but the people who actually sell the drug. The drug bosses feel that there needed to be a ban on the popular narcotic due to their communities diminishing by the hour. The police are taking credit for the band because they feel the dealers are just trying to take power over their communities. PAUSE, let’s stop and think about this for a moment. There seems to be so many problems with this life changing band. The drug dealers are going to stop selling their most popular drug; that they profit the most money from, to help their community. Last time I checked the drug dealers did not care about their communities since they are making a living off of destroying people’s lives. Then the drug boss said, “Crack has been nothing but a disgrace, it is time to stop.” Apparently this drug dealer has not come to terms that ALL the illegal narcotics that he is selling are a disgrace. The REAL reason the drug bosses want to help their communities is not because they actually care, but that their families are becoming victims to the addictive narcotic. They are seeing firsthand what the effects of the drug are, from their loved ones, and they feel they want to save the world from what THEY caused. What a touching story…

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  9. When a drug dealer says that a drug is too bad be sold and actually STOPS selling the drugs then I know somethings wrong. Especially without the government having to stake a war on drugs. They're taking responsibility for their neighborhood, they are not thinking of the money their making. They saw first hand how damaging this drug could be to friends and family and needed to bring a stop to it. I don't think it was more that the neighborhood was going to waste I think it was more that they could see first hand the damaging effects of such the powerfully addicting drugs that they had a change of heart. Regardless of the fact that they decided to stop selling so the police would leave them alone its still a step in the right direction.

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  10. Crack is obviously a powerful substance. It has been known to destroy many lives and communities. The drug gangs are taking a stand and banning this illegal narcotic. They say it is harmful to communities and endangers lives. But whose lives are they concerned with? Their communities or the population as a whole? Their families are obviously impacted and the scene in their community is obviously a bad one. Who can blame them for wanting to protect their family communities? But why hasn't anyone take a stand before? Why not buckle down and stand up to the drug gangs and punish others who participate in illegal narcotics? If a drug gang is banning crack, and risking losing money, then this drug is pearly causing major damage. The one leader is witnessing exactly how much damage is caused and is having a chage of heart. All he claims to want is the healthiness and well being of all of his family and community. A bold stance that many others should notice and take a follow. Governments should also be aware of this change and do something to prevent drug sales in their countries.

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  11. gangsters coming together to stop the distribution of crack..... WOW... I think this is the frst time that i've hear something like this, i mean come on, gangster that could be rivals to dead getting together to do something good? this can be too good to be real.
    well if we see it from another point of view, crack is one of the most lethal drugs and it cant kill a lot of its consumers, which would be a "economic crisis" to all the providers, which are the gangs, of course they have to do something about it, there is no way they are doing this for well being of people, since most of their profit comes from drug trafficking. crack is also a very addictive drug, and due to this fact, the consumes would be trying to get more in a short period of time, what could bring a big profit to drug dealers, but the market for crack could decrease rapidly due to overdose.
    so i think that the gangsters are doing this looking at the future and not for the people

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  12. Its crazy that drugs have got so bad that the drug dealers themselves are trying to put a stop to the sell of crack. With that being said I think that it is a very good thing that the drug dealers of different areas are coming together to put a stop to the selling of crack. I believe that one of the major factors that cause this to come about was the fact that crack has hit very close to home with the drug dealers. Crack has caused some people to loose everything including their families and it very sad the situations of the people that were interviewed toward the end of the article. So not only do I agree that there should be a stop to the selling of crack but a stop all of the drug that are sold within the area.

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  13. This is interesting to see, drug dealers with a conscious. So what is the real reason? I have to be especially skeptical because if these guys were so moral then the drug business would be extinct in Rio. So what are the reasons they are against it? Because it isn’t coming directly through them….I thinks most likely. They don’t have the direct control of the import and initial distribution and that is why they are “cracking down” on the crack epidemic. I guess some people buy this “I am a drug dealer with a value system” but I guess I am too cynical and think they have ulterior motives. I mean we are talking about people that kill other people on a daily basis over menial things yet they are taking a firm stand against crack…mmmmm, no. There has to be an underlying current there somewhere.

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  14. Interesting to say the least. Especially to see that the Red Command is taking such a high interest and seriousness to the stop of distributing crack. On that note it is nice to see that they are trying to make improvements and abolish crack distributions amongst Rio and other parts of Brazil. I think the real question here is how serious are they about this situation and are they really going to follow through and carryout this plan of action? It will be interesting to see in the near future how everything plays out. Hopefully they will get rid of the drug trade in Rio before the 2016 Olympics so that people participating and watching will not be put in harms way. It's very nice to hear things like this but for now it's just all talk. Once we start seeing more of the trade and distribution cut off then we can start to celebrate and take it all in. Until then I wouldn't count on any drastic changes being made.

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  15. It is very surprising to hear about the gangs across Rio banning crack. This is a very positive thing for the sake of the slums. The leaders say that it is for their community. I do feel like they may have some empathy or sympathy for them. Their communities are robbing, murdering, and prostituting everyday. The addicts can get out of control. On the other hand, the dealers are missing out on the profits and are, after all, drug dealers. The motive is unclear, whether it's to take back their slums from law enforcement or to help their people. I hope that crack is removed from the streets of Rio, but I doubt that a permanent removal will take place because of the money the gangs make off of it.

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  16. Even though these drug gangs claim that they are trying to stop the sells of crack in their communities, I think that this goal is somewhat unobtainable or very hard to overcome. The people in Rio de Janeiro are already addicted to crack, and they will find ways to obtain crack even if the drug gangs refuse to sell it to them. Crack has become such an important part to the society of these people that banning it or declining its distribution could affect the community in a negative fashion. Even though it might be a negative thing to stop its distribution in one way or another, it is also nice to see that the drug gangs are finally seeing what these drugs can do to people who are close to them. These drug gangs may not take action to prevent the further downfall of their society, but it is nice to see that they can somewhat have an emotional appeal. Hopefully things look better for Rio de Janeiro and this vicious drug cycle doesn't go on for much longer.

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  17. It's uncommon to think of drug dealers with "morals" or concern for humanity. I think it's great that they've decided to ban crack, but it goes just to show how here in America we're all about the dollar. There's no way that people would stop selling crack because of the profit or "freebands". The results of crack when it first struck America was detrimental to millions of good people who'd taken a hit of the wrong thing. Crack is one of the most dangerous drugs because one hit and you're addicted. These drug dealers banning crack is something that I've never heard of and I hope the others cooperate just because this would be an interesting story to keep up with. Rio was my ideal vacation spot and I've never even imagined this side of such a beautiful place. I wish that drug dealers here would show some type of compassion towards humanity, but with the economy in it's current state I don't see any banning of drugs by American dealers.

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  18. It’s all a game until loved ones get involved. Seeing things first hand causes reality to hit hard. Although they would give up millions of dollars, family is priceless. Crack was only introduced to these people six years ago, so they are nowhere near as deep in as America. I am glad a place such as cracolandia is now cleared of the drugs and the addicts. These gang bangers are a bit like leaders to their community due to the abandonment of their government. I think it is amazing how tight knit a community can be and I feel like we can learn a bit from this. I think once things become personal, a lot of things will be sacrificed if necessary. These drug lords witnessed their community fall apart due to this drug. They took an initiative that is shocking to most. I believe that their guilty consciousness have gotten the best of them. The fact that they are the most powerful, will more than likely influence the smaller gangs. I say kudos to them.

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  19. It amazes me that they realized how bad it was hurting their community. Its crazy how these gang members can have a change of heart. They are known to be bad, carry weapons, kill etc. then they want to see their society be a better place? Makes me wonder: how serious they really are about it? Rio makes millions of dollars in profit from selling drugs. Are they really ready to stop or could this just be an opening for something worse to come? Even though it took the drug lords seeing their own family suffering to see how bad drugs can be, Im glad they are making an attempt to ban crack. In order for this to actually make a change they are going to have to get the other favelas in on it as well. It seem like a big job for just one gang. But it would be interesting to see how this plays out.

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  20. Ok, what part of the game is this, when have drug dealers all of a sudden wanted to have morals about what they are putting out on the streets? Has someone been going to weekly counseling sessions or confession to their pastor? This is so sad in the eyes of other drug/street criminals but good for government…I guess. How do you decide you don’t want to sell crack anymore because it’s hurting your people but you still sell other fatal drugs and still promote pimping females of all ages to make a buck? I’m confused and at awe right now. I don’t know whether to be happy you have a conscience or upset because you sound a$$ backwards right now with your wanting to have some morals mentality but still sound like a donkey talking out of his toosh. A drug dealer who has morals and is trying to be biased on his dealings makes no sense at all to me and will not get you a better seat in flight to hell. You still have a one way ticket with gasoline drawers on to hell buddy. Just a reminder if you thought you were in the clear now. After your so called moment of clarity to rid the population of one deadly drug but not all.

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  21. Crack takes a huge toll on anyone’s life to the point where they have to start robbing their friends and family for money or do other unnecessary thing just so they can have their daily hit of crack, and it’s sad to see people are willing to go through poverty and misery just so they can be satisfied in that moment and once that feeling wears off then there back to doing unorthodox things. I Feel that if the main drug dealers are banning crack in their own areas then they are finally realizing it’s a bad problem, and for a main drug lord to do an interview must really mean he wants it to heard all around Rio. It’s good to see that the government is trying to help by building centers to help those how are addicted. But I think the main thing now is to stop the crack from getting to children that have not been exposed to it yet , because what better way to stop the crack exposure then by keeping the next generation away from it.

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  22. This is very unusual situation, the gangs want to ban sell on crack in the streets of Rio. I think that this might even cause more violence in the streets than there it is already. Offcourse there are going to be other gangs that are not goint to quit selling crack on the streets because they dont want to loose money. I think that this might cause even more violence between the gangs and the police. The drug lords probably dont care on crack since they got money from selling more expensive drugs, but a regular drug dealer from the street is still gonna sell drugs somehow. Its good at least that the drug lords are willing to help the youth some how but i think that there are always going to be drugs around the gangs.

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  23. This is an interesting article. Gangs sell drugs to make money and crack is a drug that users get addicted to faster than any other. The gangs saw firsthand what crack did to people because it was their family members that were addicted. Since crack is so addicting, a problem the dealers were having was the addicts were hanging around and this would hinder their business.
    The article talks about a second- in- command to one of the area gangs and how they stopped selling crack. He watched his brother ruin his life by becoming addicted to crack and this pushed him to stop selling this drug. Maybe these gangs in Rio have more of a heart than others. Most gangs I know don’t care who is buying their drugs just as long as they make money.
    Now I’m going to stir up real trouble. I think we need to legalize drugs. What happened during prohibition? Alcohol was illegal and the government thought this would reduce crime but it only increased the crime rate. There were people like Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, and Bugsy Siegel who were just a few of the gangsters during this era. I read several articles that said Al Capone was making around $60 million a year and remember this is the 1920’s! They do say history repeats itself. Maybe this is something we should think about.

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  24. I find it very interesting to see how a drug that started in the United States has traveled all the way to Brazil. It is interesting that that Brazil is facing the same crack epidemic that the United States faced when crack cocaine was first introduce in the early 80’s. No matter how bad the drug is and how it continues to ruin lives, people still continue to sale and use it. I don’t believe that the ban of crack cocaine would make the favelas any safer. The problem is that the drug dealers are more interested in making money and keeping their clientele in order to keep a steady income. I personally don’t think that the drug lords will stop the distribution of crack cocaine. If people would only stop to think for once how much damage this drug has caused, then they would keep their word of stop selling it. Now that is affecting other countries, maybe we in the U.S. can stop the spreading of this epidemic before it spreads more gets even worse. This is a cool topic and I hope people start getting the message to stop the selling and the use of this killer drug.

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