Maputo — Mozambican Attorney-General Americo Letela has called for "a strategic and multi-sector response' to the increased sophistication of organised crime.

Speaking on Tuesday at the opening of a national meeting of the Central Office for the Fight against Organised and Transnational Crime (GCCCOT), held in the tourist resort of Ponta d'Ouro, in the southernmost district of Matutuine, Letela pointed in particular to the increase in drug trafficking along Mozambique's lengthy and unprotected coastline, the use of digital technology for financial crime, and the links of criminal networks to armed conflicts. Eliminating these phenomena was an urgent task, he stressed.

"We are called upon, not only to reflect, but to act with determination and responsibility', declared Letela.

Mozambicans, he said, expect that the work of the Attorney-General's Office (PGR) will lead to the effective sentencing of criminals, the recovery of stolen assets, and the eradication of criminal networks.

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"Society is placing in us the expectation that we will be able to contribute towards a more effective and transparent justice system, one that is more resilient to the threats from organised crime', he added.

Organised, transnational crime, said Letela, weakens the rule of law, corrodes the trust of citizens in institutions, compromises national security and obstructs development.

The meeting heard that, in the first six months of this year, the GCCCOT has recorded a significant increase in cases of money laundering. 108 cases were registered between January and June. The GCCCOT expects that, by the end of the year, it will have recorded more than the 190 cases registered in all of 2024.