Social use of confiscated drug trafficking and organised crime goods and assets

According to data from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), only 1% of illicit resources are recovered for the benefit of society. This fact represents a great challenge for public administrations in their objective of combating drug trafficking more efficiently by pursuing the assets of organised crime.

Buenos Aires hosted a meeting organised by the European project COPOLAD III, with the aim of promoting and improving the recovery of confiscated goods and assets from drug trafficking and organised crime in order to put them to social use.

During the meeting, a technical dialogue was held between organisations involved in the administration and disposal of confiscated assets in Latin America and Europe, with the participation of the heads of the agencies responsible for the administration of confiscated assets from Argentina, Italy, Spain, France, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and other institutions linked to this issue from 19 countries in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as civil society organisations.

In addition, three conferences open to the public were held to discuss the recovery, administration and disposal of confiscated assets, regulatory frameworks and experiences of social reuse of confiscated assets.

“In the European Union we are committed to international cooperation to tackle organised crime. That is why we set up and finance COPOLAD. But the problem does not end with the confiscation of assets, and hence our decision to co-finance the “Bien Restituido” project, which could make Argentina the second country in the world to have a law on the confiscation of assets for social purposes. That the proceeds of organised crime become a “common good” at the service of the communities affected by this problem. This is the true restorative justice that allows us to strengthen our democracies”, said the Ambassador of the European Union in Argentina, Amador Sánchez Rico. For his part, Borja Díaz, director of the COPOLAD III Programme at the FIIAPP, stressed: “The fight against drug trafficking must be accompanied by social action, which allows the recovery of territories damaged by the presence of organised crime, rebuilding trust between these territories and the State, and the dedication of seized assets to social and cultural purposes fulfils this objective”.

The aim of the seminar is to disseminate internationally the social reuse of confiscated assets and their positive impact in four dimensions: a judicial dimension with the affirmation of the principle of legality and the repression of criminal economic phenomena. An economic dimension, with the direct restitution of illegally seized resources to the territory. A political dimension, when the state succeeds in recreating a link with citizens and imposing its presence over mafia control. A social and cultural dimension, when the confiscated goods become a sign of “re-education” for the territory, which is used to overlooking certain abuses.