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The son of a former president of Guinea-Bissau was sentenced to more than six and a half years in prison for involvement in a transnational heroin trafficking conspiracy, the US Justice Department announced Tuesday.Malam Bacai Sanha Jr, 52, planned to use the proceeds to finance a coup in the West African country that would lead to his eventual presidency and establishment of a “drugs regime,” according to the statement released by the US Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.
Sanha was a leader and organizer in the heroin trafficking conspiracy and was involved in its importation from Europe to the United States, according to the statement. In September 2023, Sanha pled guilty “to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance for unlawful importation,” according to Tuesday’s statement.Guinea-Bissau has had a history of military coups interspersed with periods of democratic rule — though elected leaders managed to serve a full term since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1974.