Guinea-Bissau ex-navy chief held in US on drugs charges

A former chief of the navy in Guinea-Bissau have appeared in a US court on charges linked to cocaine trafficking, officials have said.

Rear Adm Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto was flown to New York after he was detained while travelling on a yacht in the east Atlantic.

Adm Na Tchuto is described by the US as a kingpin in Guinea-Bissau's huge drugs trade.

The small West African state is a staging post for drug-smuggling gangs.

Cocaine is smuggled to Guinea-Bissau from Latin America before finding its way to Europe as well as the US.