Inside notorious Crackland where hundreds of drug addicts roam like zombies

Oblivious to the smell of urine that permeates the air, hundreds of zombie-like Brazilians wander the streets in a trance - openly high on crack cocaine.

Welcome to 'Crackland', the notorious drugs capital of Sao Paulo where substance abuse is so rampant that police actively turn a blind eye to addicts chasing their next hit.

This week, detectives pounced on a glamorous alleged local drug dealer dubbed 'Kitty of Crackland', who was found with drugs stuffed down her underwear.

Lorraine Cutier Bauer Romeiro, 19, hid weed in her bra and crack cocaine in her knickers, according to police in Sao Paulo.

The alleged drugs pusher is just one of many said to be exploiting the rampant drugs epidemic that made Brazil the world's largest market for crack cocaine.

And in Crackland, the shameless criminals operate with impunity - setting up stalls in the streets and even offering out free samples to the desperate crowds that have been likened to a 'human zoo'.

Drugs haven where crack costs less than candy

Sharing borders with Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia - the world's three biggest cocaine producers - Brazil is a hotbed for crack, with an estimated one million users nationwide.

And since the highly-addictive smokable drug came to prominence in the early Nineties, addicts have gathered in Cracolandia, as the region is known in Portuguese.

Addicts can light up dozens of times in a day ( AFP via Getty Images)

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Wrapped in blankets and sitting in the streets, users light up in broad daylight, with police guarding the perimeter but watching primarily for other crimes such as robbery.

Due to the fleeting highs of the drug, addicts can often smoke more than a dozen times in one day and scavenge for tin cans and recyclable waste to flog for quick cash.

An individual hit of crack cocaine can cost as little as a candy bar, making it a worryingly affordable option for even impoverished, homeless residents.

Previous studies have found that one in three people died within five years of ending up in the 'no-go' zone, usually from violence, the Guardian reported.

Multiple regimes have tried to tackle the rampant drugs problem without success ( NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Over the years, successive politicians have attempted to tackle the spiralling drugs culture, with the area earmarked for gentrification due to its proximity to Luz, the city's biggest train station.

Sometimes, the approach has been progressive, with a programme in 2014 offering addicts housing, medical care and even part-time work to help them get clean.

However, sometimes authorities have attempted to rule with an iron fist too.

Following the election of former Sao Paulo mayor Joao Doria in January 2017, bulldozers and hundreds of military troops descended on the area with gas grenades and rubber bullets, sending residents fleeing for safety.

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“The police turned up throwing bombs at everyone,” one told the Guardian. “Thank god I wasn’t injured, but I was terrified."

Yet while the terrifying raid disrupted business, users and dealers returned in their droves within months.

Covid leaves homeless fighting to survive

At its peak, Crackland was home to as many as 2,000 drug users. While that number has plummeted in recent years, the Covid pandemic has seen the population creep up once more.

Since March, when the number of users had been falling, monthly increases have returned, according to the Rio Times.

The Covid pandemic has left residents without crucial government support ( AFP via Getty Images)

The peak came in June, when 722 people were recorded in Cracolandia - a rise of 24 per cent since the equivalent month in 2020.

Early in the pandemic, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro infamously tried to downplay the dangers of the coronavirus and was slow to introduce curbs across the nation.

Subsequently, the virus has ripped through the country. It is now only second to the United States in total deaths worldwide, recording 554,626 as of July 30.

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With state funding diverted towards tackling the crisis, millions of Brazilians have sunken into poverty, and dozens are now struggling to survive in Crackland.

At the end of 2020, the government reduced emergency aid payments to the poor and they eventually ran out entirely, Reuters reports.

In April, the news agency followed psychiatrist Flavio Falcone, who has taken it upon himself to clean up the area by dressing up as a clown to encourage drug users to open up and get mental health support.

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“This character represents the exposure of mistakes, of the fragility of what exists in the shadow. The exposure of failures,” said Falcone.

“The people who are on the street are really the failures of capitalist society.”

Glamorous 'dealer' hid cocaine down knickers

While police usually give Cracolandia addicts a free pass, raids against dealers continue and this week cops seized a glamorous Instagram model accused of pushing drugs.

'Kitty of Crackland' Lorraine Cutier Bauer Romeiro, 19, is facing criminal charges, while her boyfriend, reportedly called Andre Japones, has also been arrested.

Lorraine Cutier Bauer Romeiro, 19, was busted by cops and charged with selling drugs ( Lorraine Cutier Bauer Romeiro/Newsflash) The glamorous Instagram model has been dubbed 'Kitty of Crackland' ( Lorraine Cutier Bauer Romeiro/Newsflash)

Detectives said they spotted the teenager selling crack from a tent in the streets and subsequently found six bags of cocaine in her underwear, along with 15 crack rocks.

She reportedly confessed to holding narcotics at a naerby hotel called Hotel Avare

Here, police discovered a backpack with 85 bags of marijuana, 295 bags of cocaine, eight of crack, and 16 ecstasy pills.

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Romeiro's lawyer said she had not had access to her client and that she would make a statement at a later date.

Her older brother said she had got involved with the "wrong people" following the death of their father, who was shot in the head seven years ago, according to R7.

"She got involved with the wrong people. She was always a good person, from a good family. We always gave advice," he said.

The suspect, who has more than 50,000 followers on her Instagram page, is reportedly known as the "Gatinha da Cracolandia" (the 'Kitty of Crackland' in Portuguese).

She regularly posts stunning pictures of herself modelling underwear and sunning herself in picturesque swimming pools, enjoying the high life of Brazil.

The pictures could not be further away from the grim realities of Cracolandia, which remains a dark emblem of Brazil's disturbing drug culture.

Got a story? Get in touch by emailing alex.bellotti@reachplc.com

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