Three people have been arrested in Beira, Sofala Province, on suspicion of involvement in an attempt to divert 800,000 litres of fuel using falsified documents at the Port of Beira cargo terminal.
Those arrested include a Mozambican national identified as a customs documentation technician working for a company responsible for processing paperwork for the release of fuel tankers, as well as two Zimbabwean truck drivers.
According to Alfeu Sitóe, spokesperson for Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) in Sofala, the suspects were arrested on 31 August as part of an investigation into aggravated fuel theft.
Authorities said the operation was uncovered after receiving information that a group was preparing to repeat a scheme previously used to divert fuel through forged documentation.
In May, around 400,000 litres of diesel were allegedly removed from the Port of Beira using falsified documents. The cargo was officially listed as destined for Manica Province, although investigators are still trying to establish its actual final destination.
In the latest case, the group allegedly planned to use two fuel tankers to remove a total of approximately 800,000 litres of fuel.
According to SERNIC, the customs documentation technician was allegedly approached to facilitate the loading and release of the tankers using falsified paperwork in exchange for payments that would be made in stages until the fuel reached its final destination.
Authorities have not yet disclosed where the new shipment was intended to be delivered.
Following their arrest, the two Zimbabwean nationals were allowed by an investigating judge to await further proceedings in freedom after being granted bail.
The Mozambican suspect remains in pre-trial detention after failing to pay the bail amount imposed by the court.
SERNIC says investigations are continuing to identify other possible individuals involved in the scheme and to determine the destination of the fuel allegedly diverted in the earlier case.
The case comes as Mozambique has recorded several incidents involving fuel theft and diversion, at a time when the sector has faced supply pressures and significant fuel price increases.
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