Mozambican authorities acknowledge restrictions on drug smuggling

Health authorities in Sofala acknowledged this Thursday in Beira restrictions on the control of drug warehouses, a week after the arrest of six people, including health officials, for drug smuggling.

“Although there is a monitoring system in place, we cannot install CCTV at the sites, perhaps this could help improve security at the storage sites,” said Luse Neusa Joel, director of health for the province of Sofala, central Mozambique.

On March 27, six people, four of whom were employees of health centers, were arrested in the city of Beira, in the center of the country, on suspicion of trying to smuggle medicine into the neighboring Republic of Zimbabwe.

“It is our understanding that the drugs have been gradually withdrawn,” Neusa Joel said, acknowledging that an increasing number of medical professionals are involved in the scheme.

“At the moment, an inventory is underway, and based on its results we will take measures, be it disciplinary measures or the restructuring of the pharmacy teams themselves at the level of first-aid posts and drug warehouses,” he added.

Six suspects were arrested in late March following an investigation by the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernik), an organization from which health authorities are now awaiting a report.

During the investigation, authorities were able to locate the supplier, who was detained at a warehouse containing pharmaceuticals and alcoholic beverages smuggled from neighboring Malawi, authorities said.

Sernik believes the detainees are part of a network stealing supplies and medicines from the National Health System (NHS) in Sofala, while complaints about shortages of medicines at Sofala public health departments are mounting across the country.