Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Brazil on the drug routes flying to Mozambique

The airports of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and São Paulo (Brazil) are flagged as drug routes into Mozambique, said today the spokesman for the Mozambican Tax Authority (AT), Fernando Tinga.

Tinga was commenting on the annual report “Evolution of Consumption and Illicit Drug Trafficking,” recently released by the Central Office for Prevention and Fight Against Drugs in Maputo.

“The connecting airports we have as our main concern are Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, and São Paulo,” he said.

Among the most emblematic cases, in 2022, at Maputo airport, is the seizure of 20.5 kilos of cocaine carried by three individuals from Brazil.

The AT spokesman said two citizens were transporting the product from South Africa and one from Ivory Coast.

Fernando Tinga highlighted the creation of a specialized unit to combat drugs and other illicit substances to stop the entry and exit of narcotics in the country.

“In the first phase, the unit will be concentrated in Maputo, but later it will be dispersed throughout the other parts of the country,” added Tinga.

During the last year, according to the report’s data, the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) seized drugs in the country worth €1.8 million.

Among the drugs, methamphetamine, and heroin stand out — despite the sharp drop in official data: 759 kilos in 2021 and 154 kilos in 2022.

In the same period, cocaine seizures fell from 42 to 36 kilos.

With information from Lusa

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