Mozambican authorities intercepted 1.4 tonnes of fentanyl concealed inside 207 bottles of cosmetics at Maputo's international airport on 13 August, arresting a 31-year-old Mozambican national who had come to collect the cargo, which had originated in Campinas, Brazil, and transited through Luanda, Angola. The bust comes just weeks after a separate seizure of 3.7 tonnes of the same synthetic opioid at the same airport in July, and follows the April arrest of two Mexican nationals suspected of links to a trafficking network. Investigators are now questioning whether Mozambique is becoming an emerging node on international synthetic-drug smuggling routes, a concern reinforced by the dismantling of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories across the border in South Africa and a 38% surge in drug treatment cases in Mozambique in 2025, with over 32,000 people seeking help for substance abuse.