DAKAR – The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Guinea-Bissau’s top military official of plotting to traffic cocaine to the United States and sell weapons to Colombian rebels, according to court documents seen by Reuters on Thursday.
The accusation against General Antonio Indjai – widely seen as the coup-prone West African nation’s most powerful man – is the first official signal that criminality may go straight to the top in what has for years been labeled a “narco-state.”
Guinea Bissau authorities repeatedly have denied any involvement in drug trafficking and Indjai is believed to be in the country.
The indictment filed in New York’s Southern District Court and seen by a Reuters reporter, charges Indjai on four counts: “narco-terrorism conspiracy,” conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, cocaine importation conspiracy, and conspiracy to acquire and transfer anti-aircraft missiles.
The charges said Indjai planned to store FARC-owned cocaine in Guinea Bissau and sell weapons, including surface-to-air missiles to the organization, to be used to protect its cocaine processing operations in Colombia against U.S. military forces.
Read more: euronews.com
