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Operations

The route, watched whole.

Where the drugs come from, how they move, and what the three states do about it together.

Map of the Southern Route: from the Makran coast across the Indian Ocean to Tanzania and Mozambique, then by road and air into South Africa; the Atlantic cocaine vector; the outbound air vector to West Africa.The Lebombo corridor file — Badplaas, Mpumalanga, South Africa, 16 July 2023The region’s largest recorded seizure — Tanzania, 12–22 December 2023The Limpopo intercept — Limpopo, South Africa, 1 January 2024The Vilankulo seizure — Vilankulo, Mozambique, 5 March 2024The Delmas load — Delmas, South Africa, 10 October 2024The Beira landfall — Beira, Mozambique, 21 February 2025The false compartment — Lomahasha Border Post, Eswatini, 17–18 July 2025The outbound vector — Lagos, Nigeria — shipped from OR Tambo International Airport, South Africa, February 2024TPC headquarters — MaputoTANZANIAMOZAMBIQUESOUTH AFRICAMAKRAN COASTATLANTIC VECTOROUTBOUND AIR
  • Southern Route — Indian Ocean legs
  • Inland corridors by road
  • Outbound air vector
  • Public-record interdiction
  • TPC headquarters, Maputo

The route

One route. Three coastlines. Every mode.

Heroin and methamphetamine leave the Makran coast, cross the Indian Ocean by dhow, and come ashore on the East and Southern African seaboard — principally Tanzania and Mozambique. From there cargo moves by road and air through border posts, inland corridors and airports toward the region’s most lucrative markets.

South Africa has become both a demand and a transit country — partially owing to its extensive international transport connections — posing a significant and growing threat to public safety and economic stability.

Further vectors in the public record

  • Cocaine

    Across the Atlantic from Latin American trans-shipment points.

  • Cannabis

    Moving from the Kingdom of Eswatini into South Africa.

  • Outbound air cargo

    South Africa is not only a destination: consignments leave through its airports — the OR Tambo → Lagos case.

Main narcotics

What moves

  1. Heroin
  2. Crystal methamphetamine
  3. Hashish
  4. Cocaine
  5. Cannabis
  6. Precursor chemicals
  7. Mandrax
  8. Ecstasy

It has been established that the East and Southern African coastline has become a major narcotic-smuggling route to the most lucrative international markets.

As a result of regional cooperation, well-established and high-risk routes have been identified.

  • Heroin recovered in Limpopo, opened for inspection
    Heroin — Limpopo, January 2024
  • Officers with the stacked Vilankulo seizure; faces pixelatedDetails withheld
    Methamphetamine — Vilankulo, March 2024
  • Bricks of methamphetamine, crack cocaine and heroin from the false compartment, laid out on the ground
    Methamphetamine, crack cocaine and heroin — Lomahasha, July 2025

How we work

The seven lines of work

Defined by the TROIKA record. Open a line to read its mandate.

Scroll sideways · 7 lines

  1. CoordinationPolitical direction through the TROIKA; operational coordination with partners and national services.
    Strategic
    Continuous political direction and support through the Ministerial TROIKA, supported by the Senior Officials.
    Operational
    Coordination with international partners and the appropriate operational law enforcement at each national level.
  2. Information sharing & analysisA central hub that turns shared data into actionable crime information.

    A central hub for data sharing and analysis that generates actionable crime information, increases bilateral, trilateral and multilateral cooperation, and warns of changes in trafficking networks and developing threats.

  3. Tactical law enforcement & border controlInterdiction capability, hotspot mapping, training and cross-border operations.

    Tactical-level capability and capacity to interdict illicit drugs; geographic mapping of hotspots; training needs; facilitation of cross-border operations.

  4. Financial investigation, disruption & asset recoveryFollowing the money and forfeiting the proceeds of crime.

    Following the money; financial disruption and forfeiture of the proceeds of crime.

  5. Legal finishProsecution support — chain of custody, mutual legal assistance, jurisdiction.

    Prosecution support: evidence chain of custody, mutual legal assistance, and the legal basis and jurisdiction for prosecution.

  6. Strategic messagingCommunication that sustains political support for the cell.

    Communication and media engagement that sustains political support for the TPC. This website is an instrument of this line of work.

    This website is an instrument of this line of work.

  7. Technical & support pillarDetails pending confirmation

    The public wording of the seventh line of work awaits confirmation by the Secretariat.

The information cycle

How information becomes action

The TPC database turns what each service already sees into targets the region can act on — in three steps, ending in an actionable outcome.

  1. Member states forward

    Member states forward criminal data to the TPC — such as modus operandi, concealment methods, contact numbers, identity of suspects, routes, photographs and fingerprints.

  2. The TPC analyses

    The TPC analyses the information and the end product is disseminated to the trilateral and partner states. Targets are identified and addressed during joint operations.

  3. Targets are actioned

    Targets are identified and dealt with by member countries or during joint operations.

  4. Actionable outcome

One form, three states, two languages

The Standardised Suspect Information Form is a single bilingual (English / Portuguese) template used across all three states. Its fields:

Case
Judiciary process; police station and city; case number; country.
Particulars of suspect
Surname, forenames, nationality, date of birth, sex, passport, contact details, alias.
Route
Date and place of arrest, country of departure, final destination, transit countries.
Attributes
Quantity, concealment method, photographs or images of the seizure, travelling method.
Supplier and recipient
Particulars of the supplier and of the recipient.
Judicial process
Police station and case number, outcome, financial investigation.
For office use
TPC reference number, date received, date captured on database.

The blank form contains no data. The site describes the form and the cycle — never a populated form, a TPC reference number or any record content.

A case, in five beats

How a case moves

Five beats, drawn from the public Badplaas record. Agencies may be named. Persons never.

  1. The TPC boardroom in Maputo: the roll-up banner “Together against crime · Juntos contra o crime” and the three member-state flags
    The TPC convenes
  2. Digital and electronic forensic training: an officer at the workbench; the face is pixelatedDetails withheld
    Intelligence shared
  3. One of the intercepted vehicles at Beira, photographed at night; plate, fleet number and operator name are blurredDetails withheld
    Movement tracked
  4. The intercepted bakkie in Limpopo with a forensic officer at the open door; faces pixelatedDetails withheld
    Interdiction
  5. Currency of several countries recovered with the consignment, sorted on a table
    The network followed

Threat picture

The evolving threat

Details pending confirmation

This section is published once the Secretariat clears the material for public release.

Next step

Coordination, weighed and counted

Seven interdictions in the public record — and the network that makes them possible.

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