A US court has sentenced the son of Guinea-Bissau’s former president to more than six years in prison for his role in spearheading an international heroin trafficking operation.
Authorities allege that Malam Bacai Sanha Jr, aged 52, intended to utilize the profits from the heroin trafficking scheme to finance his aspirations of orchestrating a coup to seize the presidency of Guinea-Bissau.
He is the offspring of Malam Bacai Sanha, who served as the leader of the West African nation from 2009 until his demise in 2012.
Sanha Jr has been implicated in a foiled coup attempt in February 2022.
Following his arrest in Tanzania a few weeks prior, he was extradited to the US in August 2022.
Subsequently, his trial commenced, and in September of the previous year, he admitted guilt to charges of conspiring to unlawfully import drugs.
“Malam Bacai Sanha Jr wasn’t any ordinary international drug trafficker,” said FBI agent Douglas Williams on Tuesday.
“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 stands accused of trafficking heroin from various countries to Portugal and also from Europe to the United States.
US authorities indicate that, being a non-American citizen, he may face deportation following his imprisonment.
The 52-year-old, known as “Bacaizinho” in Guinea-Bissau, has held various governmental roles, including serving as his father’s economic adviser.
Reportedly, he admitted to being “personally involved” in the failed 2022 coup attempt aimed at ousting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals, primarily security personnel.
Sanha Jr purportedly disclosed to undercover agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that he utilized drug proceeds to finance the coup plotters, as reported by German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle last year.
Guinea-Bissau has gained notoriety as a hub for drug trafficking, serving as a critical conduit for cocaine from Latin America bound for Europe. Consequently, both the US and the UN have labeled it a “narco-state” more than a decade ago.
Experts assert that drug traffickers and their networks wield considerable influence and are deeply entrenched within the country’s government, often providing financial support to politicians who safeguard the illicit trade.