This warning is aimed at the backpackers out there that like smoking other things other than just tobacco. Although obviously illegal in Mozambique it is very common to find and be able to consume marijuana at various backpackers throughout the country.
Well Bao Bab Beach backpackers, in Vilanculos, Mozambique, is one of these places, it has a great vibe and provides what appears to be a safe environment. Well, there is an employee of neraby 'Dolphin Dhow Safaris' (a company which organises trips to the Bazaruto Archipelago and who is associated with Bao-Bab) who deliberately hangs out at the backpackers and as soon as he sees anyone smoking anything illegal he contacts his friends at the local police station, who come down guns blazing, take the backpackers to the police station and scare them into offering a heavy bribe to get out of the situation. Later the bribe money is divided between the cops and the guy from 'Dolphin Dhow Safaris'. It is a shame, and the expression "shooting yourself in the foot'' comes to mind but this is how it is. I wouldn't want to blacklist these two companies as they also employ and are run by decent people who would be effected by a boycott. I just thought I would put the info out there and let the backpackers decide whether they want to be careful when they go to these places or if they want to avoid them all together.
