US Treasury names jailed son of former Guinean dictator a drug kingpin, freezing assets

CONAKRY, Guinea – CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — The U.S. has named a son of Guinea's late dictator as a drug kingpin.

A statement released Tuesday by the U.S. Treasury Department designated Ousmane Conte under a law meant to freeze the U.S. assets of drug traffickers and prohibit Americans from doing business with them.

Conte was arrested in February 2009 by the military junta that seized power following the death of his father, Lansana Conte. He was charged with drug trafficking.

The younger Conte later confessed on state TV to involvement in the cocaine trade. It was unclear if he was pressured into confessing.

He is now being held in a Conakry prison and standing trial.

Guinea, along with several other West African countries, is a hub for South American drugs heading to Europe.