Malam Bacai Sanha Jr, aged 52, has been sentenced to more than six years in prison by a US court for his involvement in an international heroin trafficking network.
Authorities revealed that Sanha Jr’s intention was to use the proceeds from drug trafficking to finance his aspirations of seizing power in Guinea-Bissau through a coup and becoming the country’s president.
Sanha Jr, the son of former President Malam Bacai Sanha who governed Guinea-Bissau from 2009 until his passing in 2012, has also been linked to a failed coup attempt in February 2022.
He was apprehended in Tanzania and subsequently extradited to the US in August 2022.
Following his arrest, his trial commenced, and he pleaded guilty in September the same year to conspiring to illegally import drugs.
FBI agent Douglas Williams highlighted Sanha Jr’s unique position, stating, “Malam Bacai Sanha Jr wasn’t any ordinary international drug trafficker.
He is the son of the former president of Guinea-Bissau and was trafficking drugs for a very specific reason – to fund a coup that would eventually lead him to the presidency of his native country where he planned to establish a drug regime.”
Sanha Jr is accused of smuggling heroin from various countries into Portugal and also trafficking drugs from Europe to the United States.
US authorities mentioned the possibility of deporting him after serving his prison term since he is not a US citizen.
The 52-year-old, known as “Bacaizinho” in Guinea-Bissau, held various government positions, including serving as his father’s economic adviser.
He admitted his involvement in the foiled 2022 coup attempt to overthrow President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, which resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals, primarily security personnel.
Sanha Jr allegedly disclosed to undercover agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that he used drug proceeds to finance the coup plotters, as reported by German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Guinea-Bissau has long been known as a major drug trafficking hub, leading to its designation as a “narco-state” by the US and the UN over a decade ago.
Source-BBC
