Sao Paulo police mount operation clean up ‘crackland’

SAO PAULO – More than 900 police swept through an area of Sao Paulo known as “crackland” on Sunday in a crackdown on the brazen drug trafficking there, the state government said.

The operation that began before dawn is part of efforts to revitalize Sao Paulo’s downtown, which was abandoned by many businesses years ago and is now home to most of the city’s homeless.

For years, Brazilian authorities have tried to get the country’s crack problem under control. In Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, that means cleaning up open-air markets where the drug is sold and used, known as “cracklands.”

Police had arrest warrants for 69 people associated with the drug trade in Sunday’s operation, and 38 were detained. In addition, 10 kilograms of crack were confiscated along with several weapons.

Gov. Geraldo Alckmin has promised authorities will help users seek treatment, and government health and social workers moved in after the police operation. Military police and members of the city security force will remain in the area.