Mozambique Police destroy 33 kg of cocaine

The Mozambican police on Wednesday destroyed 33 kg of cocaine that had been seized in the capital Maputo.

According to Mozambique News Agency (AIM), most of the cocaine came from traffickers who had been arrested at Maputo International Airport. In most cases the traffickers had come from Brazil, flying to Maputo via Lisbon and Johannesburg.

The drug was destroyed at the Maputo police command, in the presence of members of the Criminal Investigation Police (PIC), representatives of the Public Prosecutors Office, and municipal officers involved in environmental matters.

According to Abilio Quive, the Maputo City police spokesperson, 23 people have been arrested in connection with the illicit trade in cocaine, 13 of them women and ten men.

He said they are serving prison sentences of between six and 16 years.

Quive added that mechanisms are now being studied for destroying bulkier drugs that the police have seized, including cannabis, hashish and mandrax.

Source: Xinhua