The drug business in Mozambique only thrives thanks to the protection and/or involvement of the Frelimo party or figures linked to it.

At the end of November 2022, Zambezia's National Criminal Investigation Service presented two state officials arrested at the Zambezia Provincial Penitentiary in the city of Quelimane for indications of involvement in the trafficking of hard drugs.

They are a teacher at Bonifácio Gruveta Secondary School, in the administrative post of Macuse, Namacurra district, and a lieutenant in the Mozambique Armed Defense Forces, assigned to the Macuse Naval Base.

In addition to the two detainees, the authorities suspect that a number of personalities are involved in drug trafficking, including a Member of Parliament elected for the Zambézia constituency.

In order to ascertain the veracity of the facts, the Standing Committee of the Assembly of the Republic has set up a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) which is due to present its findings on February 2nd.

Given the latest developments, the CPI should not bring any major news, as expected. Even before the CPI went into the field, SERNIC in Zambézia denied that it had said that a member of parliament was involved in the case.

There's no surprise in this. Drugs move millions of dollars. It is these dollars that finance the Frelimo party.

A study by Joseph Hanlon entitled "Heroin remains a major export" indicates that between 10 and 40 tons of heroin, or even much more, are moved through Mozambique every year.

With an export value of 20 million US$ per ton. According to this 2018 study, it is estimated that at least 2 million US$ per ton stays in Mozambique, in the form of profits, bribes and payments to senior Mozambican figures.

There's no surprise in this. Drugs move millions of dollars. It is these dollars that finance the Frelimo party.

On June 1, 2010, the then President of the United States, Barack Obama, appointed Mohamed Bachir Suleman (MBS) drug lord.

"It is believed that MBS still controls a large part of the heroin business that passes through Mozambique, but the importance of his position and that of the families linked to him seems to have diminished," reads the study we have been quoting.

He has been one of the main funders of Frelimo's campaigns since the days of Joaquim Chissano. It is believed that this funding is a way of "massaging" the system in order to continue to guarantee protection.

A recently published report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime indicates that, in southern Africa, the ports of Pemba and Nacala are among the most important for drug trafficking. According to the report, East and Southern African countries may be receiving more drugs than Latin America.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned in 2019 that Mozambique has become a corridor for large volumes of illicit substances, mainly heroin, and recommended greater international cooperation for prevention. (Text: Center for Democracy and Development)

here.

here.