"We are seeing how Brazilian cartels are already trafficking with organized Mozambican groups, as well as with other Portuguese-speaking countries", said the representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Organized Crime (UNODC), António De Vivo, in an interview with Lusa in Maputo. According to the official, the connections between groups dedicated to drug trafficking began to be registered in recent years, pointing out, for example, the arrest in Mozambique, in 2020, of Gilberto Aparecido dos Santos, known as 'Fuminho', one of the most wanted drug traffickers by Brazilian justice authorities, in addition to several seizures of drugs from Brazil made by authorities in Mozambique. "It is possible that this is a consequence, let's say, of the need for Brazilian cartels to diversify the risk of the business", said António De Vivo. Mozambique, he continued, remains a corridor for international drug trafficking, which increases the risk of new markets emerging. "When a country has a transit market, it also ends up creating national markets, because many of the operators who work, let's say, in logistics at the national level, are often paid in merchandise", added António De Vivo. The geographical location of Mozambique, on the so-called "Southern Route", and the war against terrorism in the north make the country more vulnerable, the official noted. "Mozambique is known to be in the middle of the so-called Southern Route, which is a drug trafficking route, mainly amphetamines, methamphetamines and heroin, which originate in Afghanistan. Therefore, the confluence of the crisis in the north and drug trafficking makes the country face a complicated situation", explained António De Vivo, recalling, however, that this is a challenge that the country is not facing alone.   Mozambique is pointed out by several international organizations as a transit corridor for international drug trafficking to Europe and the United States of America, especially heroin from Asia, but seizures of cocaine from South America have also increased. Data from the Attorney General's Office of Mozambique indicate that 1,251 criminal proceedings related to drug trafficking were instituted in 2023, against 1,035 in 2022, warning of an increase in the trade and consumption of narcotics in the country. UNODC is a United Nations agency specialized in criminal justice, drugs and crime, and is collaborating with the Government of Mozambique under a framework agreement for the areas of transnational organized crime. Read Also: Couple arrested in 'stop' operation after being caught with drugs (Portuguese version)