JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Mozambique has become a leading drug trafficking centre in Africa, with high-level government officials receiving bribes to turn a blind eye to the trade, classified U.S. documents released on WikiLeaks said.
“Despite anti-corruption rhetoric, the ruling FRELIMO party has not shown much serious political will to combat narco-trafficking,” said a secret U.S. document from Maputo created in January 2010 and released this week by WikiLeaks.
Mozambique government officials declined to comment on the documents.
The U.S. State Department has officially said the impoverished African state is a transit country for hashish, cannabis, cocaine and heroin consumed primarily in Europe.
Interpol has said it is increasingly becoming a hub for trafficking from Latin America to Europe.
A separate classified document released on WikiLeaks said drug producers from South Asia have joined the fray and are starting to traffic in Mozambique through its Nacala port.
“Mozambique most certainly is not yet a thoroughly corrupted narco-state,” a document from November 2009 said.
