Officials say Mozambique is increasingly a drug-consuming country, not just a transit point. Government figures show hospital admissions linked to drug use rose 38% last year to more than 32,280, a total experts say reflects only a fraction of the problem.
The UN drugs office’s country head, Antonio De Vivo, said cocaine flows have increased on the “Lusophone route” linking Brazil with other Portuguese-speaking countries. Authorities have also reported seizing more than five tonnes of fentanyl this year; De Vivo said low-income countries with young populations are particularly vulnerable to cheaper synthetic drugs.
Regional cooperation recently enabled the extradition from Botswana of six Mexican nationals accused of manufacturing drugs in a village outside Maputo, where methamphetamine, equipment and chemical precursors were reportedly seized. Mozambique’s state drug prevention bureau says the country lacks scanners, canine units and enough specialists to intercept drugs; an official said traffickers have disguised shipments as cosmetics, snacks and construction materials.
