00:00In the intercontinental drug trade, Mozambique used to be only a transit point.
00:05But the country is now seeing a growing number of drug users.
00:09Hospital admissions linked to drug use rose 38% last year, according to government figures.
00:15Elton Raymond de Joaquim is one of these consumers.
00:18The drug has a catch, though.
00:26When you have a lot of money, it feels like the high is never enough.
00:31It drives you to buy more and more.
00:33That's why I lost myself in the world of drugs.
00:38I've regressed it.
00:39Now I need to get myself out of this drug life.
00:43I need help. Help me, please.
00:49Historically, a transit point for heroin and methamphetamine.
00:53Mozambique has seen an increase in cocaine flows.
00:56Traffic in the synthetic opioid fentanyl has also emerged.
01:01The country has joined forces with international anti-drugs bodies and authorities across the region to tackle the problem.
01:09The fact that there is more drug circulating on the local markets, it's a danger also for the consumption.
01:16Because more drugs circulating, it means most likely lower prices, more affordability.
01:21And even in a country that is still a low-income country like Mozambique, it means that the population can
01:26get an easier access and a cheaper access to drugs.
01:30Low-income countries with young populations like Mozambique are especially vulnerable to cheaper synthetic drugs.
01:36Local sources said it was becoming easier for young people to obtain these products.
01:42I started using drugs at 16, but my family didn't find out until I was 28, by which point I
01:49was truly destroyed.
01:51The situation in Mozambique reflects the broader regional picture.
01:55In South Africa, authorities uncovered manufacturing labs where Mexican nationals allegedly operated as chemists or trainers of a local workforce.
02:02The situation in South Africa, authorities of a local workforce.
