Mozambique has opened 7,476 organised crime cases

O Central Office to Combat Organized and Transnational Crime has filed 7,476 cases for terrorism, money laundering, human trafficking and drugs since 2022, and received 384 this year, according to data presented today by the Mozambican Public Prosecutor.

The data were presented by the magistrate and spokesperson of the Central Office for Combating Organized and Transnational Crime (GCCCOT), Biel Andi foi, in a session in Maputo allusive to the International Day of Prevention and Combating Organized and Transnational Crime. Of the total cases, 5,789 concern drug trafficking, with 3,786 people accused and referred to the courts.

In money laundering, 661 cases were instituted, of which 358 were prosecuted, while trafficking in persons accounted for 28 cases, with 24 people accused. In the area of terrorism 998 cases were instituted, involving 464 people accused.

The Office also has 58 cases relating to the financing of terrorism, of which 10 have already been referred to the Provincial Court.

Cabo Delgado, province of northern Mozambique rich in natural gas, concentrates part of the investigations related to terrorism. The region has been attacked since October 5, 2017, when the first attack occurred in the district of Mocímboa da Praia.

On the activity in 2026, the spokesman indicated that the 384 cases received since January, mainly related to economic and financial crimes, in particular money laundering and terrorist financing.

“The trend is growing,” Biel Andi went to journalists, associating the increase with the presence of the Cabinet in the provinces, through focal points with the agencies of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The magistrate pointed out the use of cryptocurrencies as one of the challenges of the investigations, referring that suspects use cryptoactives to move money and hinder the screening of its origin. To strengthen the research capacity in this area, six magistrates and six criminal investigators were trained on cryptoactives in Qatar.

In the field of asset recovery, some 400 million meticals(5.6 million euro) have been frozen in suspect accounts in the last nine months. The Office shall refer the cases to the Central Asset Recovery Office responsible for the patrimonial and financial investigation of the assets associated with the suspects.

In a money laundering process, close to 20 properties, 70 cars, 230 million methics (EUR 3.2 million) and 667 thousand dollars (EUR 603,000) were seized, sent to the asset recovery and management mechanisms.

“ Our goal is not only to apply punishment measures to the defendants, but also to take from them the proceeds of what is criminal activity, in order to make the community understand that crime does not pay”, he said.

At the opening of the session, the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic, Lucas João, advocated strengthening cooperation between national and international institutions, sharing information and monitoring the financial flows associated with organised crime. Under the motto “Track money for organized fraud”, this year’s celebration highlighted the importance of following financial resources from illicit activities.

“ Financial investigation and asset recovery should go hand in hand with criminal investigation ", said.

The International Day of Prevention and Combating Organized and Transnational Crime is on November 15th and is associated with the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, adopted in 2000 in Palermo, Italy. The United Nations General Assembly established the ephemeral in 2024.