VZCZCXRO2681
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #1086/01 3221311
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171311Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9564
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0290
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MAPUTO 001086 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL 
AF/S FOR MATT SHIELDS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PREL MZ
SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE 2008-2009 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS 
CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR), PART I, DRUGS AND CHEMICAL 
CONTROL 
 
REF: STATE 100970 
 
Mozambique 
 
¶I. Summary 
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 the 1988 UN Drug Convention. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
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 for trafficking to Europe 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 also may 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. In 2008, there 
continued to be few 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. 
 
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. 
South Africa dropped visa requirements for citizens of all 
six neighboring countries, further complicating interdiction 
and enforcement efforts. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 Agreements and 
Treaties. 
 
Policy Initiatives.  Mozambique's accomplishments in meeting 
its goals under the 1988 UN Drug Convention remain limited. 
Government resources devoted to the counter-narcotics 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. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts.  Mozambique's counter-narcotics 
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 
 
MAPUTO 00001086  002 OF 004 
 
 
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 extradition agreement for those 
convicted of trafficking drugs between the two countries. 
Through November, 2008 cannabis seizures were 4,793kg, up 
from 4,638.26 kg in 2007, and 5.55kg of cocaine seized, up 
from 1.5kg in 2007.  Due to alterations in trafficking 
procedures, and as interdiction efforts continue to improve 
at the Maputo airport, traffickers now use alternate 
airports, including those of Beira, Nampula, Quelimane, and 
Vilankulos.  It is widely assumed that some illegal drugs 
enter the country by sea; the government relies on sporadic 
port inspections and under-trained border guards to police 
this source.  Police reported that in 2008 562 people were 
indicted for illegal drug trafficking and 107 were detained, 
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. 
 
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 2008 
that any senior government official engaged in such 
practices.  While corruption is pervasive in Mozambique, the 
government continues its efforts to prosecute police and 
customs officials charged with drug trafficking offenses. 
 
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, the 1988 UN Drug Convention, and the UN 
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Mozambique 
has signed, but not yet ratified the UN Convention Against 
Corruption. 
 
Cultivation/Production.  Cannabis is cultivated primarily in 
Maputo City, Tete, Manica, Cabo Delgado, Zambezia and Sofala. 
 Cannabis production registered an increase in 2008. 
Intercropping is the most common method of production.  The 
Mozambican government has no reliable estimates of crop size. 
 Authorities have made efforts since 2007 to eradicate 
cannabis crops through controlled burns. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit.  Assessments of drugs transiting 
Mozambique are based upon limited seizure data and the 
observations of Mozambique officials 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 
sparsely patrolled 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. 
 
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; some hashish may reach 
Canada and the United States, but not in significant 
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.  Nigerian and Tanzanian cocaine 
traffickers are reported to have targeted Mozambique as a 
gateway to the South African and European markets. 
 
In 2007, 562 people were indicted for use or drug 
trafficking, against 669 in the previous year.  This 
reduction is seen as a positive trend in the effort to 
implement control measures in the ports, airports and land 
borders, though the authorities recognize that they still 
lack financial resources and equipment means to that effect. 
 
This is of particular relevance in light of the upcoming 2010 
 
MAPUTO 00001086  003 OF 004 
 
 
Soccer World Cup which will be hosted by South Africa.  The 
Soccer World Cup will undoubtedly have major implications for 
Mozambique in view of its proximity to South Africa as well 
as the fact that it is hosting some national teams prior to 
the event.  This enhances the importance of strengthening the 
capacity of Mozambique to address the security challenges, 
including the influx of drugs and other illicit commodities. 
 
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. 
The GCPCD 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 
2008 and relies heavily on the voice of community leaders for 
implementation of their drug education programs.  Despite an 
increase in the number of drug users, government funding and 
resources remain scarce (the GCPCD operated on a budget of 
approximately $45,000 in 2007), limiting abuse and treatment 
options.  The number of drug abusers seeking treatment has 
decreased, from 1,436 in 2006 to 624 in 2007.  This is seen 
as the result of the prevention campaigns (6.8% increase in 
the number of activists since 2006) and improved 
inter-ministerial coordination.  Programs assisting drug 
abusers are church and family based initiatives that 
reintroduce abusers into family and community settings.  The 
Ministry of Health does not have any treatment programs to 
assist drug abusers; those seeking assistance are referred to 
a psychiatric hospital. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Bilateral Cooperation.  The United States continues to 
sponsor Mozambican law enforcement officials and prosecutors 
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 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.  Also in October 2007, an assessment team from the 
State Department's Office of Anti-Terrorism Assistance 
conducted an assessment to consider 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.  In 2007-2008, the USG provided 
training to 300 guards and senior officers of the Mozambican 
Border Guards in techniques of securing borders and managing 
border crossing (document checking, inspections).  Inspection 
materials, vehicles and alternate transportation options, 
equipment for distant posts, and computer equipment were 
supplied to border guards to assist in putting into practice 
the techniques taught in the training courses. 
 
The Road Ahead.  U.S. assistance in support of the GCCC will 
continue in 2008.  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.  The U.S. military has also 
provided shallow draft vessels for limited coastal security 
 
MAPUTO 00001086  004 OF 004 
 
 
work in conjunction with USCG training on ship/vessel 
boarding and search and seizure techniques; DOD will train 
the Mozambican Navy on search and seizure techniques using 
those vessels. 
 
The Government expects to finalize a $17.4 million Strategic 
Plan on Illegal Drugs for 2009-2014 by the end of 2008. 
Without the regional cooperation needed to finance anti-drug 
efforts in Mozambique, implementation of the Strategic Plan 
is impossible.  The GRM would benefit from strengthened 
interdiction capabilities of border control officials 
stationed at airports, land-borders and seaports and coastal 
areas, provision of equipment and training to enhance 
expertise and capacity for drug law enforcement, training of 
officers from the GCPCD and anti-drug activists in the 
private sector, particularly NGOs, support for the rapid 
destruction of seized drugs and support for the creation of a 
reliable Data Base.  The GRM should continue its focus on 
reducing corruption to ensure that progress with its 
narcotics control efforts continues. 
 
Chapman