Recent news has highlighted a surprising case involving 52-year-old Malam Bacai Sanha Jr, who allegedly hatched a plot to overthrow the government of a West African nation and establish a regime based on trafficking funds. drug. According to the US Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, this conspiracy was intended to propel Sanha Jr to the presidency.
Douglas Williams, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Houston office, highlighted the particular motivations behind Sanha Jr.’s criminal activities.
“Malam Bacai Sanha Jr was more than just an international drug trafficker. He exploited his family ties to finance a coup with the profits from his illicit trade,” Williams said.
According to official statements, Sanha Jr played a crucial role in the conspiracy, overseeing the heroine’s journey from Europe to American soil.
His arrest took place in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, in July 2022, in the company of an accomplice. Both were quickly extradited to the United States to stand trial.
At a hearing in September 2023, Sanha Jr pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to illegally distribute and import controlled substances, earning him an 80-month prison sentence.
The case highlights Guinea-Bissau’s tumultuous political landscape, marked by a series of military coups and brief periods of democratic governance since its independence from Portugal in 1974.
Despite this instability, no elected leader had managed to complete a full term until recently.
Malam Bacai Sanha, father of Sanha Jr, briefly ruled the country as interim leader after a junta was installed in 1999, but he failed in the next election. He then won the presidency in 2009, but died in 2012 before his term ended. Affectionately known as “Bacaizinho” in his native country, Sanha Jr held several government positions, including economic advisor to his father, demonstrating a complex intertwining of political ambitions and criminal practices.