The son of Guinea-Bissau’s former-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, who is 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 has been linked to a failed coup in February 2022.

He was extradited to the US in August 2022, following his arrest in Tanzania a few weeks earlier.