VZCZCXRO8899
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #1287/01 3100945
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060945Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8162
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0069
RUEAWJA/DOJ WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MAPUTO 001287 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PREL PGOV SNAR MZ
SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE: 2007-2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS 
CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INSCR) PART I 
 
REF: STATE 136787 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
¶1.  Mozambique is a transit country for illegal drugs such as 
hashish, herbal cannabis, cocaine, and heroin consumed 
primarily in Europe, and for mandrax (methaqualone) consumed 
primarily in South Africa. Some illicit drug shipments 
passing through Mozambique may also find their way to the 
United States and Canada. Drug production mostly is limited 
to herbal cannabis cultivation and a small but growing number 
of mandrax laboratories. Evidence suggests considerable use 
of herbal cannabis and limited consumption of "club drugs" 
(Ecstasy/MDMA), prescription medicines, and heroin primarily 
by the country's urban population. Porous borders, a poorly 
policed seacoast, inadequately trained and equipped law 
enforcement agencies, and corruption in the police and 
judiciary hampered Mozambique's enforcement and interdiction 
efforts. The United States, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime 
(UNODC), and other donors have established cooperation 
programs to improve training of drug control officials and 
provide better interdiction and laboratory equipment. 
Mozambique is a party to all three UN Drug Control 
Conventions. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
¶2.  Mozambique is not a significant producer of illegal drugs 
and not a producer of precursor chemicals. Herbal cannabis 
remains the most produced and most consumed drug in the 
country. While herbal cannabis for local consumption is 
produced throughout the country, seizure quantities and 
statistics from 2006 indicate higher levels in Maputo City, 
Manica, Sofala, and Cabo Delgado provinces. Limited amounts 
are trafficked to neighboring countries, primarily South 
Africa. Mozambique's role as a transit country for illicit 
drugs and precursors and a favored point of disembarkation in 
Africa continues to grow, mostly because of its proximity to 
South Africa (the major market for illicit drugs) as well as 
weak law enforcement capacity at borders, major seaports, and 
airports. Southwest Asian producers ship cannabis resin 
(hashish) and synthetic drugs through Mozambique to Europe 
and South Africa. Limited quantities of these shipments may 
also reach the United States and Canada. Heroin and other 
opiate derivatives shipped through Mozambique usually 
originate in Southeast Asia and typically transit India, 
Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and later Tanzania, 
before arriving by small ship or, occasionally, overland to 
Mozambique. Many traffickers are of Tanzanian or Pakistani 
origin. There were fewer reports of cocaine entering the 
country via couriers on international flights from Colombia 
and Brazil. Government authorities attribute the decrease to 
a change in tactics by traffickers and, to a lesser extent, 
more stringent police efforts at airports. However, they also 
acknowledge that fewer reports may not represent a decrease 
in the overall amount of cocaine entering the country. 
 
¶3.  Government authorities have noted an increase in the use 
of heroin and Ecstasy among the urban population. The abuse 
of mandrax, which is usually smoked in combination with 
cannabis, continues to be a matter of concern for countries 
in southern Africa. Shipments of mandrax enter South Africa 
from India and China, sometimes after transiting Mozambique. 
As of 2007, the country has dropped visa requirements for 
citizens of all six neighboring countries, further 
complicating interdiction and enforcement efforts. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2007 
 
¶4.  Policy Initiatives - Mozambique's accomplishments in 
meeting its goals under the 1988 United Nations Convention 
against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and 
Psychotropic Substances remain limited. Government resources 
devoted to the counternarcotics effort are meager, and little 
or no donor funds have been available in recent years. The 
Mozambican government carries out drug education programs in 
local schools in cooperation with bilateral and multilateral 
donors as part of its demand reduction efforts. 
 
¶5.  Law Enforcement Efforts - Mozambique's antidrug brigade 
operates in Maputo and reports to the Chief of the Criminal 
Investigation Police in the Ministry of Interior. The brigade 
suffers from a general lack of resources and is operating at 
reduced levels compared with previous years. The brigade has 
not received training for several years. Since 2005, a small, 
specialized police unit designed to strengthen efforts to 
fight organized crime, including narcotics trafficking, has 
operated at airports in provincial capitals. In 2006 
Mozambican and Brazilian authorities signed a memorandum of 
understanding on principles, in preparation for an eventual 
 
MAPUTO 00001287  002 OF 003 
 
 
extradition agreement for those convicted of trafficking 
drugs between the two countries. From January to June, 
Mozambican authorities seized 900 kg of cannabis, 12 tons of 
hashish, 1958 mandrax pills, and 3000kg of cocaine. As 
interdiction efforts improve at the Maputo airport, 
traffickers have used alternate airports, including those of 
Beira, Nampula, Quelimane and Vilankulos. Police reported 
that in 2006 50 Mozambican and foreign nationals were 
arrested, of which 20 were tried, and 7 convicted of drug 
trafficking. On several occasions during the year, Mozambican 
authorities highlighted a severe lack of resources for 
destroying seized drugs, particularly hashish, cannabis, and 
cocaine. 
 
¶6.  Corruption - The government does not as a matter of 
policy encourage or facilitate the illicit production or 
distribution of narcotics, psychotropic drugs, other 
controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from 
illegal drug transactions, nor were there reports in 2007 
that any senior government official was engaged in such 
practices. While corruption is pervasive in Mozambique, the 
government has continued efforts to prosecute police and 
customs officials charged with drug trafficking offenses. 
 
¶7.  Agreements and Treaties - Mozambique is a party to the 
1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by 
the 1972 Protocol, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic 
Substances, and the 1988 UN Convention against Illicit 
Traffic in Narcotic Substances. In September 2006, Mozambique 
deposited its instrument of ratification on the UN Convention 
against Transnational Organized Crime. Mozambique has signed, 
but not yet ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption. 
 
¶8.  Cultivation/Production - Cannabis is cultivated primarily 
in Maputo City, Manica, Sofala, and Cabo Delgado provinces. 
Intercropping is the most common method of production. The 
Mozambican government has no reliable estimates of crop size. 
Authorities have made efforts in 2007 to eradicate cannabis 
crops through controlled burns. 
 
¶9.  Drug Flow/Transit - Assessments of drugs transiting 
Mozambique are based upon limited seizure data and the 
observations of local and UNODC officials. Mozambique 
increasingly serves as a transit country for hashish, 
cannabis resin, heroin, and mandrax originating in Southwest 
Asia, owing to its porous borders, long and unpatrolled 
coastline, lack of resources for interdiction efforts, and 
improving transportation links with neighboring countries. 
Drugs destined for the South African and European markets 
arrive in Mozambique by small ship, mostly in the coastal 
provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Sofala, and Inhambane, 
before being repackaged and sent by land to neighboring 
countries. 
 
¶10.  The Maputo corridor border crossing at Ressano 
Garcia/Lebombo is an important transit point to South Africa. 
Hashish and heroin are also shipped on to Europe, and some 
hashish may reach Canada and the United States, but not in 
signifcant quantities. Arrests in Brazil, Mozambique, and 
South Africa indicate drug couriers trafficked cocaine from 
Colombia and Brazil to Mozambique, often through Lisbon, for 
onward shipment to South Africa. In addition, Nigerian and 
Tanzanian cocaine traffickers have targeted Mozambique as a 
gateway to the South African and European markets. 
 
¶11.  Domestic Program/Demand Reduction - The primary 
substances of abuse are alcohol, nicotine, and herbal 
cannabis. The Mozambican Office for the Prevention and Fight 
Against Drugs (GCPCD) reported in 2007 that the use of 
heroin, cocaine, and psychotropic "club drugs," such as 
Ecstasy and mandrax, was increasing in Mozambique's urban 
population. GCPCD maintains an office in each provincial 
capital and coordinates a drug prevention and education 
program for use in schools and with high risk families; the 
program includes plays and lectures in schools, churches, and 
other places where youths gather. It has also provided the 
material to a number of local NGOs for use in their drug 
education programs. GCPCD received no treatment assistance 
from bilateral donors in 2007. Despite an increase in the 
number of drug users, government funding and resources are 
scarce (the GCPCD operated on a budget of approximately 
$45,000 in 2007), limiting abuse and treatment options. The 
Ministry of Health does not have a specific program to assist 
drug abusers; those seeking assistance are referred to the 
Psychiatric Hospital. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
¶12.  Bilateral Cooperation - The United States continues to 
sponsor Mozambican law enforcement officials and prosecutors 
 
MAPUTO 00001287  003 OF 003 
 
 
to attend regional training programs at the International Law 
Enforcement Academy (ILEA) for Africa in Botswana. Law 
enforcement officials have also received training at ILEA in 
New Mexico. The United States has supported the police 
sciences academy near Maputo, through training and technical 
assistance in the areas of drug identification and 
investigation, as well as other areas of criminal sciences 
including fingerprint identification, forensic photography, 
and the identification of fraudulent documents. The 
assistance included construction of a forensic laboratory and 
the supply of related forensic analysis equipment. 
Additionally, technical assistance programs at the police 
academy also focus on methods to foster better relations 
between the community and the police. USAID provides training 
support to the Attorney General's Central Office for the 
Combat of Corruption (GCCC), formerly the anticorruption 
unit. In October 2007, an assessment team from the State 
Department's Office of Anti-terrorism Assistance visited to 
assess appropriate assistance levels for improving the 
capabilities of Mozambican security forces to combat 
terrorism. Part of this assessment included an evaluation of 
security capabilities at the land border station at Ressano 
Garcia, the Maputo seaport, and Maputo,s international 
airport.   Also, the USG provided training to guards and 
senior officers of the Mozambican Border Guards in techniques 
of securing borders, managing border crossing (document 
checking, inspections) at two different locations within 
Mozambique.  Advanced training is scheduled to take place in 
December. 
 
¶13.  The Road Ahead - U.S. assistance in support of the GCCC 
will continue in 2007. In October a short-term regional legal 
advisor arrived to work with the unit and other judicial 
offices for a period of several months through the Department 
of Justice Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and 
Training program. Additionally, efforts to improve 
Mozambique's border security capabilities continue. Building 
on the success of the initial training, the USG will sponsor 
additional basic and advanced border security courses for 
Mozambican border guards. Inspection materials, vehicles and 
alternate transportation options, equipment for distant 
posts, and computer equipment will also be supplied to border 
guards to assist in putting into practice the techniques 
taught in the training courses. The U.S. military has also 
provided shallow draft vessels for limited coastal security 
work in conjunction with USCG training on ship/vessel 
boarding and search and seizure techniques. The GRM would 
benefit from increased funding for counternarcotics and drug 
treatment efforts and should continue its focus on reducing 
corruption to ensure that progress with its narcotics control 
efforts continues. 
Chapman