“As a director of a company, between 2019 and 2023, [the man] ordered the transfer of about 140 million US dollars to Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan, and Portugal, allegedly for the importation of goods that were never actually cleared in Mozambican national territory,” the PJ states in a communiqué.

The foreign citizen was wanted by Mozambican authorities for alleged involvement in highly organized crime, the police indicate.

According to the PJ, the man, with the help of customs brokers, forged customs clearance documents for goods and sent them to commercial banks to justify the transfers made abroad.

“A significant part of this amount came from transfers and cash deposits by relatives of the detainee and collaborators, who were arrested for involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering,” the PJ also notes.

According to the PJ, the companies were created for criminal purposes, mainly to conceal and disguise the origin of drug trafficking profits.

The detainee, who may face a sentence of 16 years in prison, will appear before the Lisbon Court of Appeal for the application of a coercive measure.