Confiscated Assets Utilized, Yet Only 10 Treated... Experts Criticize 'Slow Progress'

Despite an investment of PYG 34 billion (approximately KRW 6.1 billion) from the national treasury to address Paraguay's drug addiction problem, current practical outcomes are being criticized as minimal. This substantial fund, managed by the National Secretariat for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets (Senabico), was intended for rehabilitating and reintegrating addicts into society, as well as for fighting drug trafficking. However, it has so far failed to achieve the expected results.

Meager Rehabilitation Outcomes, Slow Project Progress

Senabico stated via social media that "every Guaraní is used with the important purpose of supporting addict rehabilitation, promoting social reintegration, and combating drug trafficking." However, the efficiency of one of Senabico's key supported projects, the Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Department (Ditres), is being questioned as it currently provides services to only 10 patients. Despite Ditres having facilities to accommodate a total of 30 patients, the fact that it only began admitting 10 patients this year, after its opening in 2020, has drawn criticism for the extremely slow progress of the project.

Santiago Arza, Secretary-General of Senabico, confirmed that 10 individuals are currently receiving rehabilitation services at the center located in Piribebuy. He explained that treatment is provided free of charge to patients for five years, and patients are transferred to this center after undergoing detoxification and diagnostic processes through the National Center for Addiction Control (Cenptra), based on expert judgment.

In an interview with Monumental AM 1080, Arza mentioned that a total of four programs and projects are currently in the implementation phase, with approximately PYG 34 billion invested. He added that additional project calls for tenders are expected this year.

Legal Basis and Fund Usage

Article 46 of the Senabico Law (amended in 2019) stipulates that 50% of confiscated funds and proceeds from Senabico auctions must be used for addict rehabilitation projects, social activities, and crime prevention funding. The use of these funds is decided through a council composed of six institutions: Senabico, the Ministry of Interior, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Supreme Court of Justice, the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (Senad), and the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare.

Regarding the council's function, Secretary-General Arza stated that funds collected through confiscation rulings in finalized and executed criminal cases have financed some projects. One such project involves the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare in cooperation with Senad operating the Ditres center in Piribebuy, which opened in January this year and is currently operational.

Furthermore, Arza mentioned that within the framework of the law declaring a drug addiction emergency, the council is also implementing other projects under 'Plan Sumar,' conducted by the Ministry of Education and Sciences, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence.

Partial Achievements of Plan Sumar

Plan Sumar adopts a comprehensive approach to addressing the drug addiction problem and reports the following partial achievements:

Education: Over 360 medical professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, clinicians, and pediatricians, have been trained.
Operations: Over 270,000 doses of cocaine have been removed from circulation.
Chespi Removal: Approximately 300,000 doses of Chespi (a type of crack cocaine) have been removed.
Distribution Hub Removal: 629 micro drug distribution hubs have been dismantled.
Support: 15,000 people have been supported for drug addiction and mental health issues through family health units.
Lectures: The Ministry of Education and Sciences provided drug prevention materials and lectures to over 600,000 students through the 'Escuelas Abiertas' (Open Schools) program. This prevention program targets over 200 schools across 17 departments, with PYG 2.262 billion (approximately KRW 400 million) allocated to this project.
Center Opening: In January 2025, Ditres, with a capacity for 30 patients, officially opened.
Large-scale Investment: PYG 7.178 billion (approximately KRW 1.3 billion) has been invested to date in the construction of a rehabilitation center for juvenile offenders at the Itauguá Education Center site, as part of the action plan for drug abuse prevention.
Challenges and Future Tasks
As Secretary-General Arza noted, statistics indicating that 90,000 adolescents in the Asunción and Central regions alone suffer from drug addiction highlight the severity of Paraguay's drug addiction problem. Despite massive funds being invested, the limited provision of actual rehabilitation services is a serious concern.

While Senabico's declaration of war against drug addiction using confiscated assets can be positively assessed, the reality of "treatment for only 10 people" is clearly insufficient to cope with the large drug-addicted population. Moving forward, Senabico and related agencies must strive to enhance transparency in fund execution, expand practical rehabilitation programs, and operate them efficiently to ensure more addicts can receive treatment. Furthermore, strengthening drug addiction prevention education and social reintegration programs is urgent. For confiscated drug trafficking assets to be truly effective in the war on drugs, faster and more widespread policy implementation is needed.