In the early hours of March 21, 2025, the National Agency for Environmental Quality Control (AQUA) seized 204 sacks of charcoal at the Ressano Garcia railway station on the trafficking route to the neighboring Republic of South Africa.

The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), the Criminal Investigation Services (SERNIC) and other forces involved in the "OHope Foundation" are working to find those involved in this criminal action, says a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries.

As part of law enforcement, AQUA,IP seized around 195 tons of this resource at land borders from January 2023 to January 2025.

In recent years there has been an upward trend in the illegal export of charcoal, using land borders all over the country, most notably with Malawi and South Africa.

Article 77(1) of Forestry Law no. 17/2023 of December 29 states that anyone who cuts, extracts, fells, transports, acquires, stores, sells and exhibits wood, charcoal and other forest resources without a license or without complying with the established conditions shall be punished with imprisonment of one to five years and a corresponding fine.

Article 67(1)(c) of the same law states that it is expressly forbidden to export charcoal and firewood of any kind, whether natural or planted, and article 78(1) punishes anyone who exports forest products illegally with a prison sentence of one to five years and a corresponding fine.