Police officers accused of collaborating with drug traffickers in Quelimane

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Police officers accused of collaborating with drug traffickers in Quelimane

4:09 CAT | 22 Jul 2020

Photo: DW

Accusations have surfaced in Mozambique that the police are involved in facilitating drug trafficking and extortion. PRM Command says it is investigating the reports, and cautiously concludes: “We cannot assume either way as to whether or not this exists.”

Members of the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) and the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) are being accused of collaborating with a network of drug traffickers in Quelimane, the capital of Zambezia.

The PRM Provincial Command is investigating the complaint made by youths detained by police in Quelimane, who claimed that some SERNIC agents and police officers demanded a share of the money from trafficking in exchange for protection.

One of the whistle-blowers says that he was once caught by PRM members in his room. “They asked me not to get agitated and to take them to the person who sells the drugs. When I took them, there was a [SERNIC] agent inside. He saw a person hiding the drug, but when the other [policemen] went in, said nothing. He let the [policemen] carry out the search and, even though he knew where the drugs were hidden, he said nothing,” he said.

Quelimaneprm.dw_ — *Miguel Caetano: “This may culminate in sanctioning measures”*

The police are also accused of extortion. “They took money from my wallet and a phone. There were 2,000 meticais [€20.00] in there,” one of those detained alleged.

Zambézia Provincial Police Command spokesman Miguel Caetano confirmed that there were allegations of SERNIC and PRM involvement in drug trafficking and told DW Africa that the alleged crimes were being investigated.

“We are already investigating this. Criminal and disciplinary measures will be [taken], and internal criminal cases will be opened. This may culminate in some sanctioning measures. We cannot assume either way as to whether this exists or not. It is a process that we will carry out in the scope of the investigation,” he said.

The Nucleus for Combating Drugs in Zambézia meanwhile says drug trafficking is more intense in the province, with Silvério dos Anjos, the organisation’s director, adding that Zambézia province has seen an increase in drug seizures in recent months.

“There is a progressive tendency to consume heavy drugs – this is the case of cocaine and hashish – when before cannabis was more popular. We can already see in our cities a tendency for the penetration of heavy drugs,” he concludes.

Source: Deutsche Welle