Bocas de fumo exacerbates drug use and trafficking in the Mozambican city of Beira

The spread of so-called “smoking houses”, places where drugs are sold and used, throughout the city of Beira in central Mozambique is worrying the authorities, who are trying to solve this problem through information and education.

In the past two weeks alone, at least ten people have been arrested by the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in the provincial capital of Sofala on charges of using and selling cannabis sativa and heroin, mostly from the neighboring countries of Malawi and Tanzania. and from Brazil, according to authorities.

Nilsa Patricio, 22, is a consumer and told Lusa that she was influenced by her ex-partner more than three years ago. Finally, this month, she was detained by agents of the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernik) with 21 units of heroin that she was about to use.

“I left the house, went to the city center, to the Zinc district of Madeira, went to buy 21 pieces of heroin. I smoke, I know that they constantly sell it there, and I bought this amount to smoke, ”the girl explained in a statement about Lusa, covered only with a hat, not hiding fear, but also cold, after almost four days of detention in the cells of the 5th police officer PRM area.

“I don’t have a good explanation, because in fact I got lost and it’s already wrong (…) I regret that I entered this world of drugs,” she said.

Mariana, 26, also an addict, says it was not easy to stop drinking despite trying: “When I quit, I feel bad, I feel bad with pain, nausea, cold. t has been used since Tuesday,” admitted a young woman, also detained.

“I already tried to stop for a while, but when I lost my daughter, I continued again. There, in Madeira, Zinc is the place where I always buy, it is sold there, but there are no watches. I don’t know the names of the people who sell it, but I knew people, there are a lot of people who sell it,” he explained.

Raimundo Thomas, 28, uses and sells drugs on the streets of Beira, in the famous “snuff bags”. It started under the influence of friends and never stopped.

“I bought it in Bairro de Macute with a young man. I take it to consume here in my area and I sell the rest to some friends. I don’t always have regular clients because it’s not my usual activity. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now. years,” he commented without fear.

Mozambique has become one of the main centers of international drug trafficking, especially from the Americas, prompting the national authorities to train police and customs agents in the city of Beira to work at road, rail and airport terminals.

Agents have begun reviewing the content of issues related to the prevention and control of drug trafficking in order to effectively identify who is transporting them. Over the past 12 months, about one and a half tons of various drugs seized in different places have been burned in Sofala.

Alfeu Shitoe, Sernic’s representative in Sofala, explained that all ongoing initiatives are being coordinated by this police force, as well as involving the education sectors, the justice authorities, the tax office, the migration service, churches and even the families of young people and teenagers.

Moreover, the CID police themselves are aware of areas of the city known to drug traffickers, including the existence of activities in a network considered commercial and with drug traffickers, even those with contracts.

“The place where these drug sales and consumption take place belongs to an organization that is responsible for eliminating those people who are there,” admitted Alfeu Shitoe.

“We believe that they are there illegally, they are not part of a contractual obligation with this company that owns this place, so this company can be used or this company can take the initiative, and not just wait for a fight to start as such. He turned to a place considered “attractive and attractive” for these events, in the heart of Bairro do Pioneiro, another point where “smoky mouths” proliferate in the city of Beira.

Alfeu Sito said last year, a quantity of industrial cannabis sativa, commonly known as “Swazi cannabis gold”, was seized in an operation inside a passenger vehicle, and the picker and driver were detained for conspiracy to commit a crime. drug trafficking.

“The public transport company at its terminal, we went there and we already had information that this bus was carrying a certain amount, and we managed to capture it, what it was, and knew who to pass it to,” he concluded.

António Cemente, spokesman for the Sofala narcotics department, explained to Luce that in order to stop the spread of cannabis sativa, cocaine and heroin, the drugs most often seized by the police, agent training is taking place in the province of Sofala. the city of Beira, who operate in areas that are considered centers of transit and commercialization of these products.

“We must draw the attention of all of us to the fact that we are parents, that we are guardians, so that we can help our children that cannabis use is harmful to humans,” he concluded.