American detained in failed Congo coup is former DC drug dealer and married father-of-three who was running gold mining and e-cigarette business with slain mission's leader

One of the three Americans involved in a disastrous attempted Congo coup is a married father-of-three from Washington DC with a drug trafficking conviction.

Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 36, was one of three American citizens seen in the west African nation on Sunday before the coup's apparent leader Christian Malanga was shot dead.

Malanga's American son Marcel and another unidentified American man were captured and paraded around after the failed coup.  Zalman-Polun's passport was gleefully displayed by the victorious troops.

Zalman-Polun and Malanga were involved in gold mining in Mozambique together, according to several African news outlets. The business partners also reportedly worked together in the e-cigarettes industry in Mozambique. 

In 2014, the DC native pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 kilos or less of marijuana in DC between October 2011 and April 2012, per legal documents seen by DailyMail.com.

Benjamin Zalman-Polun, left, is a long-standing associate of Malanga who has pictures of them both in Facebook posts dating back at least three years 

Zalman-Polun, originally from Washington D.C., is a married father-of-three 

According to his wife Hannah Polun's social media, the family has been living in the affluent coastal town of Ballito, South Africa, for the last couple of years

Zalman-Polun is a married father-of-three. According to his wife Hannah Polun's social media, the family has been living in the affluent coastal town of Ballito, South Africa, for the last couple of years.

In April, Hannah posted on a Facebook group inquiring about the best places in the country to build her family's home.

In 2020, she asked for midwife or doula recommendations before she had her third child in South Africa.

She wrote: We are looking for somewhere Near the ocean (though if you have an area that meets all other criteria but not this one I’m open to hear about it )

'access to organic farms and organic shops with natural products... we have young children and very important would be access to things like libraries and activities for kids.'

'we homeschool (unschool) our kids so would be amazing if there was a homeschooling community nearby , options for forest school , co-ops etc.'

Zalman-Polun's passport was gleefully displayed by the victorious troops 

In April, Hannah posted on a Facebook group inquiring about the best places in the country to build her family's home

Zalman-Polun and Malanga are seen at the Golan Spy Shop in Tel-Aviv, Israel

In 2020, she asked for midwife or doula recommendations before she had her third child in South Africa

In the early hours of Sunday, a group of around 50 men armed in camouflage fatigues attacked the residences of the prime minister, the defense minister, and a senior politician tipped to become speaker of parliament, according to the army.

Chilling footage caught the moment two of the plotters were seized trying to flee the country across the Congo River before groveling for mercy to Congolese soldiers as they lay bleeding in the street.

Marcel Malanga was one of them. He accompanied his former refugee father to the central African country from their home in Utah to lead the coup against the autocratic government of President Felix Tshisekedi.

A Facebook page appearing to belong to Malanga posted a live-streamed video of what appeared to be the attack.

'We, the militants, are tired. We cannot drag on with Tshisekedi and Kamerhe, they have done too many stupid things in this country,' Malanga said in Lingala in the video.

Marcel Malanga, 21, looked terrified as he was hauled into frame ahead of the coup attempt in a video posted to Facebook by his father 

U.S. Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn said in a post on social media that she was 'very concerned' by reports that American citizens had allegedly been involved in the events.

'Please be assured that we will cooperate with the DRC authorities to the fullest extent as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizen involved in criminal acts,' she said.

The U.S. embassy had earlier issued a security alert warning of 'ongoing activity by DRC security elements' and reports of gunfire in the area.

Christian Malanga moved to Salt Lake City as a 15-year-old refugee with his family in 1998 but returned to Congo in 2006 where he served in the military, and stood for parliament in 2011 only to be arrested two days before the poll.

He attempted to build his United Congolese Party in exile after returning to the US in 2012 and was accused by Congolese intelligence of plotting the assassination of then president Joseph Kabila.

Eight years after arriving in the US, Malanga returned to his homeland in order to do military service, rising to the rank of captain by 2007. During this period, he had at least 235 soldiers under his command.

Following failed attempts at moving into politics in DRC, Malanga returned to the US in 2012 but continued to be active in the country's affairs while in exile.

Malanga, who had previously threatened on social media to overthrow Tshisekedi, first attempted an aborted coup in 2017, according to army spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge. 

The army has shared a photo of his body sprawled on the grass in blood-stained fatigues. 

In the ministry's video, a detained man described as a recruiter for Malanga's cause says Malanga had planned to proclaim himself president.

"He indicated he had the support of the Americans, but we realise that he didn't really have any," the detainee said.

The U.S. ambassador has said the United States will fully cooperate with the Congolese authorities and hold accountable any U.S. citizens involved.

Marcel appears to have ad a perfectly average upbringing in the US. He graduated from Copper Hills High School in the community of West Jordan, Utah, in 2020 where he was also a star football player.

After high school, he went on to play for the Utah Islanders, a team which helps to develop players to play college football.

However, his social media is filled with references to war and images of assault weapons.

Nearly a year ago Marcel shared a picture with his father and captioned it: 'honored to have you as my earthly father. I can’t wait to change the world with you.'