The United States announced Thursday it is offering a $5 million reward for the arrest of Guinea-Bissau’s former coup leader Antonio Indjai; wanted for his alleged role in a drug deal linked to Colombian Farc guerrillas.
On April 13, 2012, General Antonio Indjai, then chief of staff in the politically unstable West African country, staged a coup; disrupting the electoral process two weeks before the presidential runoff.
Africanews reports that, U.S. prosecutors indicted him in 2013, accusing him of agreeing to stockpile tons of cocaine for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc); the sale of which financed the purchase of weapons for the guerrillas and bribes to officials in Guinea-Bissau.
After the coup led by Antonio Indjai, a transitional authority was put in place; until the May 2014 election of José Mario Vaz as president. The $5 million will reward information leading to his arrest or conviction.
According to Businessday, Between June and November 2012, Indjai agreed to receive and store multi-ton quantities of cocaine purportedly owned by; the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which he understood would be sold for the benefit of the FARC.
Indjai and his co-conspirators agreed that a portion of the received cocaine would be used to pay Guinea-Bissau government officials.
In addition, Indjai and other co-conspirators agreed to purchase weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles, for the FARC; using drug proceeds and established a front company in Guinea-Bissau to complete the illicit weapons transactions; further destabilizing West Africa and Latin America.
Indjai has been charged with narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine; conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; and conspiracy to acquire and transfer anti-aircraft missiles.