The offspring of a previous president of Guinea-Bissau has been given a sentence of over six and a half years in jail for participating in a global heroin smuggling plot, as declared by the US Justice Department on Tuesday.
According to the statement released by the US Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Malam Bacai Sanha Jr, 52, intended to utilize the profits to fund a rebellion in the West African nation, allowing him to eventually become president and set up a “narcotics regime.”
“Malam Bacai Sanha Jr. wasn't just an average international drug smuggler,” stated Douglas Williams, special agent in charge of the FBI Houston Field Office. “He is the son of the former president of Guinea-Bissau and was trafficking drugs for a very specific reason – to fund a coup.”
As per the statement, Sanha played a leading and coordinating role in the heroin smuggling conspiracy and was engaged in its transportation from Europe to the United States.
He and a co-conspirator were apprehended upon arrival in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, in July 2022. They were then extradited to the United States shortly after.
Sanha admitted guilt “to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance for the purpose of unlawful importation” in September 2023, according to Tuesday’s statement.
He received a sentence of 80 months in prison.
Guinea-Bissau has a history of military coups and periods of democratic rule, with elected leaders managing to serve full terms since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
Sanha’s father, Malam Bacai Sanha, was initially appointed as interim leader by a junta in 1999 before losing the election the following year.
He became president in a 2009 election but passed away while seeking medical treatment in Paris in January 2012 before completing his term.
His son, known as “Bacaizinho” in Guinea-Bissau, has held various government positions, including serving as an economic advisor to his father.
AFP
