Mozambique: Drug seized at warehouse of prominent businessman – AIM report

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Mozambique: Drug seized at warehouse of prominent businessman – AIM report

7:00 CAT | 08 Feb 2021

in file CoM

The Mozambican police have detained a prominent businessman, Minoj Hassan, in Pemba, capital of the northern province of Cabo Delgado, in possession of 180 kilos of the drug ephedrine, reports Friday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Carta de Mocambique”.

Ephedrine can be used to create methamphetamine (“crystal meth”), and is listed as a “Table 1 precursor” under the United Nations Convention on Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs.

Hassan, who once worked for the Aga Khan Foundation, had been under police investigation for same time, according to “Carta de Mocambique”’s sources. He was suspected of drug trafficking, money laundering, and contraband.

The ephedrine was found in one of Hassan’s Pemba warehouses, disguised in sacks of maize flour.

Hassan’s businesses in Cabo Delgado include warehouses where grain and other foodstuffs are stored, and the sale of fuel. He was also a councillor on Pemba Municipal Council, prior to the latest municipal elections, held in 2018.

Hassan brushed aside the police discovery of an illicit drug in his warehouse. He claimed the ephedrine was intended to produce cakes, and that his detention was all a misunderstanding.

Sources in the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) say that moves are under way to ensure the release of Hassan, since his family is very influential in Cabo Delgado.

Source: AIM