Son of G Bissau ex-president jailed for drug trafficking
By Gloria Aradi
The son of Guinea-Bissau’s ex-president has been sentenced to over six years in prison by a US court for leading an international heroin trafficking ring.
Malam Bacai Sanha Jr, 52, planned to use the proceeds to fund his ambitions to become Guinea-Bissau’s president through a coup, authorities say.
He is the son of Malam Bacai Sanha, who led the West African country from 2009 until his death in 2012.
Sanha Jr was also linked to the February 2022 foiled coup attempt.
He was extradited to the US in August 2022, following his arrest in Tanzania a few weeks earlier.
His trial began soon afterwards and in September last year, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally 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.”
