The National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) seized 1.4 metric tons of fentanyl at the Cargo Terminal of Maputo International Airport in an operation that led to the arrest of a 31-year-old Mozambican citizen identified as the intended recipient of the shipment, the Agência de Informação de Moçambique reported on Thursday, August 13.
According to the agency, the operation was launched after SERNIC received information about the arrival in the country of a shipment suspected of containing drugs. The shipment departed from Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, passed through Luanda, Angola, and was bound for the city of Maputo, with arrival scheduled in three batches on August 1, 6, and 11, 2026.
Following this information, SERNIC agents were dispatched to the Maputo Airport Cargo Terminal, where they monitored the handling of the shipment to verify the information and identify its contents. Subsequent forensic analysis confirmed that the substance was fentanyl, a highly addictive synthetic drug.
According to SERNIC, the substance was distributed across 207 boxes and packaged in cosmetic bottles in liquid form, a strategy that likely made it difficult to identify immediately. The seizure bears similarities to an operation carried out in June, also at Maputo Airport, although on that occasion the fentanyl was found in tablet form.
During the investigation, the agency identified and arrested the alleged recipient of the shipment, a 31-year-old Mozambican citizen, who was caught at the cargo terminal as he was preparing to pick up the package.
To formalize the seizure, SERNIC relied on the assistance of Mozambique Customs, which provided copies of the import documentation and formally handed over the goods to the criminal investigation agency.
The scale of the seizure ranks the operation among the most significant in the fight against drug trafficking in Mozambique and once again raises concerns about the country’s use as a potential route for the trafficking of high-risk synthetic substances. SERNIC considers the case to be another milestone in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking.
The agency also highlights the risks associated with fentanyl and states that it will continue to investigate the case and carry out operations to combat organized and transnational crime, with the aim of preventing Mozambique from being used as a corridor or destination for drug trafficking.
