One of the main partners of the Chinese smuggler, who has been wanted by the Mozambican justice system for more than three years, was arrested in the city of Beira, Sofala province.

According to the newspaper "O País", the Chinese national has been indicted for money laundering, terrorist financing, tax fraud, falsifying documents and environmental crimes.

The arrest took place late on Tuesday afternoon at the accused's home, where he had allegedly been hiding for some time.

The citizen is the main partner of an alleged Chinese smuggler who defrauded the Mozambican state of more than 826 million meticais.

According to the same publication, the investigation into the case began in September 2021, when communities in the Muxúngue region denounced an illegal activity characterized by cutting, transporting and exporting bull timber to China.

The investigations pointed to the citizen in question as the main partner of the company engaged in that illegal activity. The investigations concluded that the accused and his partner had more than 15 companies, including a private security company, set up with the intention of disguising illegal activities in order to launder money and evade taxes.

However, the detainee denies the accusations. "I don't know anything about money laundering, I just helped a friend who at the time had a company, which had a Mozambican partner, and there was a disagreement between them. In that disagreement, the partner decided that he had to leave, so if he left, he had to bring in a Mozambican partner so that the company could continue working. At that point, the only friend he had confidence in was me, so he asked me to help him," said the accused quoted in the publication.

It should be noted that at the end of 2022, one of the Chinese smuggler's companies, the security giant Panda, was closed down by the Public Prosecutor's Office and, at the time, 22 firearms were seized. (O País)