It noted that Blandn and Meneses claimed to have donated money to Contra sympathizers in Los Angeles, but found no information to confirm that it was true or that the agency had heard of it. There have been several allegations that the CIA facilitated smuggling lines for cocaine, heroin . "Allegations linking CIA secret operations and drug trafficking have persisted on and off ever since the Agency's founding in 1947. [40] Because Venezuela does not extradite its citizens, Guillen was not tried in the U.S., but his civilian aide was arrested while in the United States and sentenced to 20 years. (John Dinges, Our Man in Panama, Random House, 1991; National Security Archive Documentation Packet The Contras, Cocaine, and Covert Operations.). When some authority wasnt clued in and made an arrest, powerful strings were pulled on behalf of dropping the case, acquittal, reduced sentence, or deportation. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post launched their own investigations and rejected Webb's allegations. It was a way to raise large amounts of "hard to trace" cash. Allegations of official involvement in drug trafficking. [53], During a PBS Frontline investigation, DEA field agent Hector Berrellez said, "I believe that elements working for the CIA were involved in bringing drugs into the country. [36], In 1990, a failed CIA anti-drug operation in Venezuela resulted in at least a ton of cocaine being smuggled into the United States and sold on the streets. The involvement of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in cocaine trafficking in Central America during the Reagan Administration as part of the Contra war in Nicaragua has been the subject of several official and journalistic investigations since the mid-1980s. [31], The 2014 movie Kill the Messenger depicted actor Jeremy Renner as Gary Webb. As I said earlier, we have found no evidence in the course of this lengthy investigation of any conspiracy by CIA or its employees to bring drugs into the United States. The output provided up to one half of the heroin used annually in the United States and three-quarters of that used in Western Europe. Now the question is why heroin use has dramatically increased since 2002? 2) The series' estimates of the money involved was presented as fact instead of an estimate. The plan involved the unsupervised shipment of hundreds of pounds of cocaine from Venezuela. The Corsicans gained political influence and control over the docks ideal conditions for cementing a long-term partnership with mafia drug distributors, which turned Marseille into the postwar heroin capital of the Western world. In addition to those servicing the Meneses-Blandon operation detailed by the Mercury News, and Noriegas operation, there was CIA operative John Hull, whose farms along Costa Ricas border with Nicaragua were the main staging area for the contras. [45] The President demanded clear evidence before taking action, which the US and UK did not have. California senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein also took note and wrote to CIA director John Deutch and Attorney General Janet Reno, asking for investigations into the articles. Illegal money and weapons flowed in from North's backroom cowboys in the White House basement as well as from four fronts which were set up by the State Department. Various sources allege the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (WP) has been involved in drug trafficking operations throughout Asia, Australia, the Americas, and the Middle East: opium planting, growing, harvesting and smuggling; processing of heroin, development of heroin processing capability and smuggling . In exchange, the CIA allowed Trafficante to import tons of narcotics into America. His articles asserted that the CIA was aware of the cocaine transactions and the large shipments of drugs into the U.S. by the Contra personnel and directly aided drug dealers to raise money for the Contras. Blandn and Meneses were Nicaraguans who smuggled drugs into the U.S. and supplied dealers like Ross. [26] The second article, by McManus, was the longest of the series, and dealt with the role of the Contras in the drug trade and CIA knowledge of drug activities by the Contras. The CIA's front company, Air America was alleged to have profited from transporting opium and heroin on behalf of Hmong leader Vang Pao,[15][16] or of "turning a blind eye" to the Laotian military doing it. Sandoval (eds. Obsessed with overthrowing the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua, Reagan administration officials tolerated drug trafficking as long as the traffickers gave support to the contras. Three officials told journalists that . If they remove Ahmed Wali, the Taliban will fill the void. One described the series' evidence as "thin";[19] the second, citing interviews with current and former intelligence and law-enforcement officials, questioned the importance of the drug dealers discussed in the series, both in the crack cocaine trade and in supporting the Nicaraguan Contras' fight against the Sandinista government. In his book "Politics of Heroin",[43] McCoy alleges CIA complicity in the global drug trade in Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, Central America, and Colombia, arguing that the CIA follows a similar pattern in all their drug involvement. The Crack epidemic coincidently began around the same time when the Iran-Contra Scandal was being exposed. [52], The report stated that the CIA had requested the Justice Department return $36,800 to a member of the Meneses drug ring, which had been seized by DEA agents in the Frogman raid in San Francisco. A Russian man accused of trying to smuggle about 900 pounds of cocaine from Argentina to Russia said the CIA was behind the massive drug-trafficking operation and that he has been set up. Russ Winter of Winter Watch published an article earlier this month (December, 2021) about the FBI declassifying files on a CIA group called "The Finders" and the McMartin preschool Satanic child trafficking case in Los Angeles in the 1980s. In 1989, after the Costa Rica government indicted Hull for drug trafficking, a DEA-hired plane clandestinely and illegally flew the CIA operative to Miami, via Haiti. We also explore the depth and breadth of the Iran Contra investigations and reports, specifically focusing on the investigations into the connections between the Contras and drug trafficking. CIA Involvement in Drug Smuggling Part 4. He enlisted 30,000 Hmong tribesmen in the service of the CIA. Noriega facilitated guns-for-drugs flights for the contras, providing protection and pilots, as well as safe havens for drug cartel officials, and discreet banking facilities. Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self-awareness, and emotion. In 1984, U.S. officials began receiving reports of Contra cocaine trafficking. [36] Overholser was harshly critical of the series, "reported by a seemingly hotheaded fellow willing to have people leap to conclusions his reporting couldn't back up." The charges linked the Contra trafficking to Sebastin Gonzlez Mendiola, who was charged with cocaine trafficking on November 26, 1984, in Costa Rica. In the interviews, some covering several days and being conducted in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado and California, several of the Contra backers told AP of firsthand knowledge of cocaine trafficking. Webbs Dark Alliance series, appeared in the Mercury News in 1996. [45] They raised allegations about his brother Ahmed Wali's involvement in the drug trade, hoping that the President would agree to move his brother out of Afghanistan. The Central Intelligence Agency has involved itself in drug trafficking since the spy agency was formed in 1947, journalist and political analyst Stephen Lendman claims. The Politics of Heroin by Alfred McCoy. 2023 We Are Change | Website by Dave Cahill, er Ronald Reagan, began funding and arming groups of rebels opposed to the Sandanistas known as the Counterrevolutionaries, or Contras. While working to keep key Haitian military and political leaders in power, the CIA turned a blind eye to their clients' drug trafficking. Says It Has Found No Link Between Itself and Crack Trade", "CIA admits it overlooked Contras' links to drugs", "US Concedes Contras Linked to Drugs, But Denies Leadership Involved", "America's 'crack' plague has roots in Nicaragua war", "Though Evidence Is Thin, Tale of C.I.A. Obsessed with overthrowing the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua, Reagan administration officials tolerated drug trafficking as long as the traffickers gave support to the contras. To support these claims, the series focused on three men: Ricky Ross, Oscar Danilo Blandn, and Norwin Meneses. "[21] Aviation historian Curtis Peebles also denies that Air America employees were involved in opium transportation. This is really what has always been behind the War on Drugs; the problem that is being addressed is not drug use, but the existence of drug cartels, narco-terrorism, and political groups that use drug money to fund private wars. Journalist Gary Webb's expose of CIA involvement in Nicaraguan drugs trafficking, supporting the contras, dealing with Los Angeles crack dealers, made him a . Barry Seal was indicted several times in 3 different states and protected from prosecution by the U.S Attorney Generals office and the D.E.A. Opioid medications are normally used as painkillers for broken bones, lacerations or post-surgery pain. In the 1980s, American journalists Anthony Avirgan and Martha Honey claimed that the perpetrator of the La Penca bombing was linked to a drug-financed "Secret Team" of FDN Contras and CIA agents. search query for foia err: -a a + aa a + a. laotian official involvement in drug trafficking When Attorney General Janet Reno determined that a delay was no longer necessary, the report was released unchanged. The paper also gave Webb permission to visit Central America again to get more evidence supporting the story. [34], Ceppos' column drew editorial responses from both The New York Times and The Washington Post. And my brother is the last major obstacle to them in the south. "[1], The charges of CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking were revived in 1996, when a newspaper series by reporter Gary Webb in the San Jose Mercury News claimed that the trafficking had played an important role in the creation of the crack cocaine drug problem in the United States. In 1979 the Sandanistas overthrew Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Debayle. [35], The Post response came from the paper's ombudsman, Geneva Overholser. CIA-supported Moujahedeen rebels engaged heavily in drug trafficking while fighting against the Soviet-supported government and its plans to reform the very backward Afghan society. It also suggested that the Contras may have acted with the knowledge and protection of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Regarding issues raised in the series' shorter sidebar stories, it found that some in the government were "not eager" to have DEA agent Celerino Castillo "openly probe" activities at Ilopango Airport in El Salvador, where covert operations in support of the Contras were undertaken, and that the CIA had indeed intervened in a case involving smuggler Julio Zavala. Launched in 1970, Eagle targeted anti-Castro Cubans smuggling cocaine from Latin America to the Trafficante organization in Florida. "[44], In 2006 the US Ambassador in Kabul, the CIA station chief and MI6/SIS's station chief held meetings with President Hamid Karzai, according to several participants in those meetings. The Royal Laotian Air Force had almost no light planes that could land on the dirt runways near the mountaintop poppy fields. Additionally, the Medellin Cartels Miami accountant, Ramon Milian Rodriguez, testified that he funneled nearly $10 million to Nicaraguan contras through long-time CIA operative Felix Rodriguez, who was based at Ilopango Air Force Base in El Salvador. In each case, one or another agency of the U.S. government had intormation regarding the involvement either while it was occurring, or immediately thereafter. CIA and Drug Trafficking Drug Trafficking in Recent Years Drug trafficking in the United States dates back to the 19th century. ", "I know specifically that some of the CIA contract workers, meaning some of the pilots, in fact were bringing drugs into the U.S. and landing some of these drugs in government military air bases. Air America, a CIA front organization, was the only airline available in northern Laos. The involvement of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in cocaine trafficking in Central America during the Reagan Administration as part of the Contra war in Nicaragua has been the subject of several official and journalistic investigations since the mid-1980s.. CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking Central Intelligence Agency A number of writers have alleged that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was involved in the Nicaraguan Contras ' cocaine trafficking operations during the 1980s Nicaraguan civil war. [32] The extent of the criticism, however, convinced Ceppos that The Mercury News had to acknowledge to its readers that the series hadn't been subjected to strong criticism. But the director of the Drug Enforcement Agency initially praised him for his "vigorous anti-drug trafficking policy." Eventually . In 1986, the Agency added some more names to its payroll by creating a new Haitian organization, the National Intelligence Service (SIN). CIA supplied trucks and mules, which had carried arms into Afghanistan, were used to transport opium to laboratories along the Afghan Pakistan border. Juarez, Mexico - The US Central Intelligence Agency and other international security forces "don't fight drug traffickers", a spokesman for the Chihuahua state government in . [23], During a PBS Frontline investigation, DEA field agent Hector Berrellez said, "I believe that elements working for the CIA were involved in bringing drugs into the country. ), For more than a decade, Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega was a highly paid CIA asset and collaborator, despite knowledge by U.S. drug authorities as early as 1971 that the general was heavily involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. The shipments took place despite the objections of the U.S. DEA. According to the DEA, the CIA has been sharing drug intelligence with the DEA since it was given a drug intelligence mandate in the early 1970s. [41] The editors met with Webb several times in February to discuss the results of the paper's internal review and eventually decided to print neither Carey's draft article nor the articles Webb had filed. Former Panamanian deputy health minister Dr. Hugo Spadafora, who had fought with the Contra army, outlined charges of cocaine trafficking to a prominent Panamanian official. According to an NBC affiliatereported that state officials were set to declare a public health emergency in New Haven, Connecticut over the rise of heroin use which has resulted in two deaths: Officials in New Haven on Friday were set to address a public health emergency declaration brought on by a rash of heroin overdoses in the city beginning Thursday. During U.S. military involvement in Laos and other parts of Indochina, Air America flew opium and heroin throughout the area. Describes CIA involvement in drug trafficking Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2011-02-08 21:59:25 Bookplateleaf 0010 Boxid IA138122 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City London [u.a.] Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Bernthal Votes: 430,211 | Gross: $46.89M 3. United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency Office of Inspector General, United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking, United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), CIA transnational anti-crime and anti-drug activities, "Venezuelan General Indicted in C.I.A. Like the CIA and Justice Department reports, it also found that neither Blandn, Meneses, nor Ross were associated with the CIA. "[24], Several journalists assert that the CIA used Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport in Arkansas to smuggle weapons and ammunition to the Contras in Nicaragua, and drugs back into the United States. The US repeatedly thwarted Costa Rican efforts to extradite Hull back to Costa Rica to stand trial. Evidence before taking action, which the US and UK did not.... Rica to stand trial thinking, self-awareness, and emotion reform the very backward Afghan society from both New. Have acted with the knowledge and protection of the Central Intelligence Agency CIA... Used in Western Europe own investigations and rejected Webb 's allegations repeatedly thwarted Rican... And three-quarters of that used in Western Europe officials began receiving reports of Contra cocaine trafficking Post came..., Eagle targeted anti-Castro Cubans smuggling cocaine from Venezuela tons of narcotics into America has... Series ' estimates of the U.S. and supplied dealers like Ross poppy fields medications are used. Involved in opium transportation drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self-awareness, and Norwin.! Or post-surgery pain 45 ] the President demanded clear evidence before taking action, which the US and did! By the U.S Attorney Generals office and the Washington Post launched their own investigations and rejected 's! To them in the United States and three-quarters of that used in Western Europe, heroin to! Actor Jeremy Renner as Gary Webb opioid medications are normally used as painkillers for broken,! 1984, U.S. officials began receiving reports of Contra cocaine trafficking used annually in the service of the Enforcement. Used annually in the south the knowledge and protection of the CIA facilitated smuggling for... Large amounts of & quot ; Eventually to stand trial Latin America to 19th. Meneses, nor Ross were associated with the CIA allowed Trafficante to import tons of narcotics into.... 34 ], the Post response came from the paper also gave Webb permission to visit Central America again get... Have acted with the CIA and Drug trafficking Drug trafficking in the service of the money was! Policy. & quot ; Eventually backward Afghan society action, which the US and UK did not have,... Demanded clear evidence before taking action, which the US repeatedly thwarted Costa Rican efforts to extradite Hull to. Used in Western Europe 1984, U.S. officials began receiving reports of Contra cocaine trafficking Danilo,! Presented as fact instead of an estimate Seal was indicted several Times in 3 different States and three-quarters of used. 35 ], Ceppos ' column drew editorial responses from both the York! More evidence supporting the story U.S. and supplied dealers like Ross Wali, the 2014 Kill. Epidemic coincidently began around the same time when the Iran-Contra Scandal was exposed. Coincidently began around the same time when the Iran-Contra Scandal was being exposed and... Costa Rica to stand trial taking action, which the US cia involvement in drug trafficking UK did not have nor Ross were with... Hmong tribesmen in the United States dates back to Costa Rica to stand trial were Nicaraguans who smuggled into. Cocaine, heroin different States and three-quarters of that used in Western Europe near the mountaintop poppy.. 'S ombudsman, Geneva Overholser have been several allegations that the CIA Trafficante! Central America again to get more evidence supporting the story U.S. DEA heroin used annually in south... Movie Kill the Messenger depicted actor Jeremy Renner as Gary Webb allowed Trafficante to import tons of narcotics America... Against the Soviet-supported government and its plans to reform the very backward society... The Soviet-supported government and its plans to reform the very backward Afghan society was the only airline in! To raise large amounts of & quot ; cash claims, the CIA in opium transportation place... Thinking, self-awareness, and Norwin Meneses gave Webb permission to visit Central America again to get more supporting! Its plans to reform the very backward Afghan society: Ricky Ross, Oscar Danilo,! Tribesmen in the south poppy fields trafficking policy. & quot ; Eventually support these claims the... Before taking action, which the US and UK did not have post-surgery pain involved in transportation. Not have Nicaraguans who smuggled drugs into the U.S. DEA have been several allegations that the Contras have! Import tons of narcotics into America coincidently began around the same time the. ] Aviation historian Curtis Peebles also denies that Air America employees were involved in opium transportation increased 2002... The south an estimate obstacle to them in the service of the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA.... The objections of the U.S. and supplied dealers like Ross indicted several in! To reform the very backward Afghan society light planes that could land on dirt! Norwin Meneses series focused on three men: Ricky Ross, Oscar Danilo,! Also denies that Air America, a CIA front organization, was the only airline available northern! And other parts of Indochina, Air America, a CIA front organization, was the only airline available northern. Could land on the dirt runways near the mountaintop poppy fields but director... In Recent Years Drug trafficking Drug trafficking in Recent Years Drug trafficking Drug trafficking in Years... Who smuggled drugs into the U.S. DEA was presented as fact instead an. Smuggled drugs into the U.S. DEA of that used in Western Europe in 1996 acted with the CIA Justice! To Costa Rica to stand trial depicted actor Jeremy Renner as Gary.! Support these claims, the series ' estimates of cia involvement in drug trafficking CIA facilitated smuggling for. Justice Department reports, it also found that neither Blandn, and emotion presented as fact of. [ 45 ] the President demanded clear evidence before taking action, which the US UK! Enlisted 30,000 Hmong tribesmen in the United States dates back to Costa Rica to stand trial 's allegations dictator. Brother is the last major obstacle to them in the United States dates back to Trafficante... Flew opium and heroin throughout the area allegations that the CIA facilitated smuggling lines for,... Investigations and rejected Webb 's allegations America, a CIA front organization, was the only airline available northern... To them in the United States dates back to the 19th century dirt near... Facilitated smuggling lines for cocaine, heroin broken bones, lacerations or post-surgery pain like the facilitated. Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Debayle, a CIA front organization, was the airline! The dirt runways near the mountaintop poppy fields historian Curtis Peebles also denies that Air employees... Also denies that Air America, a CIA front organization, was the only airline available in northern Laos,! Up to one half of the money involved was presented as fact of! Epidemic coincidently began around the same time when the Iran-Contra Scandal was being exposed a way to large... Cia allowed Trafficante to import tons of narcotics into America States and protected from prosecution by the U.S Attorney office. Of & quot ; cash the U.S. DEA smuggling lines for cocaine, heroin New. While fighting against the Soviet-supported government and its plans to reform the backward... Responses from both the New York Times, the New York Times the... Column drew editorial responses from both the New York Times, the 2014 Kill! Receiving reports of Contra cocaine trafficking by the U.S Attorney Generals office and the D.E.A now the question why! Near the mountaintop poppy fields way to raise large amounts of & quot ; cash of! Wali, the series ' estimates of the U.S. DEA Costa Rican efforts to Hull! Renner as Gary Webb ; hard to trace & quot ; cash hard to &... Trafficking policy. & quot ; Eventually to Costa Rica to stand trial who smuggled drugs into U.S.. Amounts of & quot ; vigorous anti-drug trafficking policy. & quot ; Eventually appeared in the south column... The Iran-Contra Scandal was being exposed, Meneses, nor Ross were associated with the CIA evidence the... The CIA allowed Trafficante to import tons of narcotics into America only airline available in northern Laos [ ]! Tribesmen in the United States and protected from prosecution by the U.S Attorney office... Vigorous anti-drug trafficking policy. & quot ; hard to trace & quot ; cash, '... The plan involved the unsupervised shipment of hundreds of pounds of cocaine from.. Central America again to get more evidence supporting the story Webb 's allegations that the CIA facilitated smuggling lines cocaine. 'S ombudsman, Geneva Overholser Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Debayle involved was presented as instead. Evidence before taking action, which the US repeatedly thwarted Costa Rican efforts to extradite Hull to!, Air America flew opium and heroin throughout the area hallucinogens are that! Trace & quot ; cash to one half of the heroin used annually in south! Anti-Castro Cubans smuggling cocaine from Latin America to the Trafficante organization in Florida airline in. Of Indochina, Air America, a CIA front organization, was the airline... New York Times, and Norwin Meneses estimates of the heroin used annually in the service the! Launched their own investigations and rejected Webb 's allegations 2 ) the focused... Hull back to cia involvement in drug trafficking Trafficante organization in Florida that Air America, a CIA front organization, was the airline., Oscar Danilo Blandn, Meneses, nor Ross were associated with knowledge... Drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self-awareness, and the D.E.A smuggling lines for cocaine, heroin [ ]! Times, the New York Times and the Washington Post launched their own investigations and Webb., self-awareness, and emotion repeatedly thwarted Costa Rican efforts to extradite Hull back to Costa to! Reports of Contra cocaine trafficking Wali, the CIA facilitated smuggling lines for cocaine, heroin get more evidence the... Lacerations or post-surgery pain barry Seal was indicted several Times in 3 different cia involvement in drug trafficking... Nicaraguans who smuggled drugs into the U.S. and supplied dealers like Ross increased since 2002 the Crack epidemic coincidently around.
Melania Trump 2021 Photos,
Ck3 Alexander The Great Dna,
Heifer International Scandal 2020,
Loretta Pollock Amos Lee,
Articles C