The United States has announced a reward of up to $5 million
for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Antonio Indjai, the
former head of the Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces.
A statement by Ned Price, Spokesperson of the U.S.
Department of State, said Indjai has been the subject of a United Nations
travel ban since May 2012, as a result of his participation in an April 2012
coup d’état in Guinea-Bissau.
“Indjai led a criminal organization which took an active
part in drug trafficking in Guinea-Bissau and the region for many years, even
while serving as head of the Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces,” the US said.
It added that Indjai was seen as one of the most powerful
destabilising figures in Guinea-Bissau, “operating freely throughout West
Africa, using illegal proceeds to corrupt and destabilise other foreign
governments and undermine the rule of law throughout the region”.
The statement said, according to a January 2013 indictment,
in the summer of 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confidential
sources began communicating with Indjai and his co-conspirator associates in
Guinea-Bissau.
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 funds 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.”
The statement said Indjai has been charged with
narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to provide
material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, and conspiracy to acquire
and transfer anti-aircraft missiles.
PANA/NAN
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com