What initially appeared as a routine border-crossing arrest in Botswana has unraveled a vast narcotics network, linking Mexican chemists and Nigerian intermediaries to a sprawling methamphetamine production facility deep within Mozambique. The suspects were apprehended alongside Uchema Charles Njoku, a Nigerian resident of Botswana now facing charges for aiding and abetting their unlawful entry. This arrest echoes the group’s operations in Mozambique, where another Nigerian national, Samuel Ndubueze Nathan, was identified as the principal coordinator responsible for their transportation and accommodation.
The six Mexican fugitives received a 12-month prison sentence from Magistrate Kamogelo Mmesi after pleading guilty to entering Botswana through unauthorized border points. Yesterday, Broadhurst Regional Magistrate Mareledi Dipate endorsed a Mozambican arrest warrant for the convicts, following the Mozambican government’s formal request for their extradition. The individuals named are Carlos Aguilar, Jose Angel Corralles Pena, Jose Alfredo Maders Pena, Gumecindo Contreras Enriquez, David Haernandez, and Francisco Alejandro Hermandez Teran, all to face criminal proceedings in Mozambique.
Legal documents obtained by this publication reveal an ongoing criminal case against the fugitives, charging them with trafficking and other offenses under article 33(1), Law No. 3/97 of March 13th, punishable by 16 to 30 years imprisonment; misuse of equipment, materials, and precursors under article 35(1) of the same law, carrying 8 to 12 years; and criminal association under article 348(1) of the criminal code, punishable by 1 to 8 years imprisonment. The papers disclose that Mozambican Public Prosecutions learned that at the end of April 2024, a clandestine factory producing synthetic drugs, specifically methamphetamine, was dismantled in the village of Vundica, located in Moamba district, Maputo Province.
Read Full Article on Weekend Post
[paywall]
According to Mozambican investigations, Fonseca was responsible for orchestrating essential logistics, including transportation, lodging, food, and clothing for the fugitives. The fugitives were transported to Vundica by Nathan, where they operated the methamphetamine production for approximately one month. Authorities seized 70 kilograms of the drug in April 2024.
Further evidence recovered included caustic soda and hydrochloric acid, precursors vital to methamphetamine synthesis, alongside production equipment and materials. Mozambican authorities emphasized that these defendants remain fugitives from justice, with international arrest warrants issued against them by the criminal investigation division of the Maputo Provincial Court.
[/paywall]
