What You Need to Know
In 2025, Mozambique reported a 38% increase in hospital treatments for drug use, totaling 32,281 cases. The government noted 617 arrests related to drug trafficking and significant seizures of narcotics. Efforts to combat drug use included home visits and educational lectures, highlighting the growing concern over substance abuse in the country.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. The number of people treated in Mozambican hospitals for drug use rose by 38% in 2025, reaching 32,281, in a year that saw 617 arrests related to drugs and the seizure of more than four tonnes of narcotics, the Government reported on Tuesday.
“32,281 patients were treated for mental and behavioural disorders resulting from the consumption of prohibited substances, compared with 23,412 recorded in 2024, representing a significant increase of 38%,” said the spokesperson of the Council of Ministers, Inocêncio Impissa, yesterday.
The Mozambican Government reviewed on Tuesday (31 March) the annual report on the evolution of drug trafficking and illicit consumption recorded in the country in 2025, to be submitted to Parliament, noting that authorities seized a total of four tonnes and 414 kilograms of various drugs last year.
In judicial terms, said Impissa, 617 individuals were arrested in 2025, including 604 nationals and 13 foreigners, compared with 613 in 2024, and 308 nationals and foreigners were sentenced to imprisonment.
In 2025, Mozambican authorities carried out at least 4,500 home visits providing psychosocial support and delivered approximately 60,000 lectures on the harms of drug use to more than 2,790,000 people, a 49% increase compared with the previous year, according to data provided by the Council of Ministers spokesperson.
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Mozambique is identified by several international organisations as a transit corridor for the international trafficking of narcotics destined for Europe and the United States, particularly heroin from Asia, although seizures of cocaine from South America have also increased.
In February, the Central Office for Drug Prevention and Control (GCPCD) reported a rise in the number of people treated in Mozambican hospitals for drug use, with 2,500 drug users reintegrated into their families, noting increased consumption among young people.
At that time, the GCPCD indicated it was advancing its strategic plan for the year to curb drug use, with the office’s leadership calling for strengthened prevention measures, particularly targeting adolescents and young people, vulnerable communities, and improved coordination between State sectors and civil society.
The Central Office for Drug Prevention and Control also seeks improvements in institutional capacity, both in human and material resources, calling for effective strategic communication capable of promoting behaviour change and raising social awareness of drug-related risks.
On 18 November last year, national authorities reported that Mozambique seized and incinerated drugs valued at €21.6 million in 2024, while noting that significant challenges remain in combating trafficking, as the country serves as a transit point for international networks.
On 22 December 2025, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) announced support for a review of Mozambican drug legislation to strengthen the country’s response to trafficking and related crimes.
Mozambique has been increasingly recognized as a transit corridor for international drug trafficking, particularly for heroin and cocaine. The rise in drug use and related health issues has prompted the government to enhance its response strategies, focusing on prevention and treatment. In recent years, authorities have intensified efforts to combat drug-related crimes, leading to increased arrests and public awareness campaigns aimed at reducing substance abuse among vulnerable populations, especially youth.
