Malam Bacai Sanha Jr, son of the former president of Guinea-Bissau, Malam Bacai Sanha, was sentenced in the United States to 80 months (just over 6.6 years) in prison for drug trafficking, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

According to the international press, Sanha Jr "Bacaizinho", 52, wanted to rise to power through illicit schemes, including transnational heroin trafficking. They say that the profits from drugs would be used to finance a coup d'état and subsequently establish a drug nation.

"Malam Bacai Sanha Jr. was no ordinary international drug trafficker," said Douglas Williams, special agent in charge of the FBI's Houston Field Office. "He is the son of the former President of Guinea-Bissau and he was trafficking drugs for a very specific reason: to finance a coup d'état."

Bacaizinho was arrested in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, in July 2022, along with a co-conspirator. Shortly afterwards, they were extradited to the United States.

In September 2023, Sanha pleaded guilty to "conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance for the purpose of illegal importation".