", "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 air bases. [48] The second volume, "The Contra Story," was issued in a classified version on April 27, 1998, and in an unclassified version on October 8, 1998. [7], In 1985, another Contra leader "told U.S. authorities that his group was being paid $50,000 by Colombian traffickers for help with a 100-kilo cocaine shipment and that the money would go 'for the cause' of fighting the Nicaraguan government." Im not making up the stories; we saw it on television. [28], Surprised by The Washington Post article, Mercury News executive editor Jerome Ceppos wrote to the Post defending the series. In 1989, the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations (the Kerry committee) concluded a three-year investigation by stating: There was substantial evidence of drug smuggling through the war zones on the part of individual Contras, Contra suppliers, Contra pilots mercenaries who worked with the Contras, and Contra supporters throughout the region. [36][37] When the DEA tried to indict Noriega in 1971, the CIA prevented them from doing so. The allegations accuse the agency of selling crack cocaine in the Los Angeles area to fund . The Central Intelligence Agency's involvement in drug trafficking is back in the media spotlight after a spokesman for the violence-plagued Mexican state of Chihuahua became the latest. Read more Print length 734 pages Language English Publisher Lawrence Hill Books Publication date May 1, 2003 "Report: Cocaine Ring Finances Contras", Associated Press (March 16, 1986). Citing existing federal policy on narcotics enforcement, Smith wrote: "In light of these provisions and in view of the fine cooperation the Drug Enforcement Administration has received from CIA, no formal requirement regarding the reporting of narcotics violations has been included in these procedures. Clinton brought in C.I.A front companies by awarding them state-backed low interest loans to relocate to Arkansas. The CIA spokesman responding to the allegation called it "ridiculous" to suggest that the agency had anything to do with the murder of a US federal agent or the escape of his alleged killer. When Ross discovered the market for crack in Los Angeles, he began buying cocaine from Blandn. If they remove Ahmed Wali, the Taliban will fill the void. 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. [13] The report said: "We have evidence of a limited number of incidents in which known drug traffickers have tried to establish connections with Nicaraguan resistance groups" and that the drug activity took place "without the authorization of resistance leaders."[13]. Maybe the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 after the September 11th attacks under the Bush regime had something to do with it? Carlos Cabezas, convicted of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, said that the profits from his crimes "belonged to the Contra revolution." ", "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. U.S. officials involved in Central America failed to address the drug issue for fear of jeopardizing the war efforts against Nicaragua. "[30] Webb later published a book based on the series, Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. [29] The Post ultimately refused to print his letter. The Politics of Heroin by Alfred McCoy. These factors, rather than anything as spectacular as a systematic effort by the CIA or any other intelligence agency to protect the drug trafficking activities of Contra supporters, determined what occurred in the cases we examined. 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. In city after city, local dealers either bought from Ross or got left behind.. Many young adults will unfortunately turn to the drug trade whether they sell or use as hope fades for the lack of jobs or opportunities. To show this, the series focused on three men: Ricky Ross, Oscar Danilo Blandn, and Norwin Meneses. The lead of the first article set out the series basic claims: For the better part of a decade, a San Francisco Bay Area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the Crips and Bloods street gangs of Los Angeles and funneled millions in drug profits to a Latin American guerrilla army run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. This drug ring opened the first pipeline between Colombias cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles and, as a result, The cocaine that flooded in helped spark a crack explosion in urban America.. CIA Involvement in Drug Smuggling Part 4. Long Island is home to some of the wealthiest communities in New York State which goes to show that heroin is affecting all neighborhoods rich and poor. "[46] In an article for Washington Decoded, former CIA operations office Merle Pribbenow said, like claims leveled toward former South Vietnamese Lieutenant General ng Vn Quang, the allegations against Ahmed Wali Karzai appeared to be "vague rumors unsupported by solid evidence" and he cautioned readers about accepting news based solely on anonymous sources and unsubstantiated rumors. In August 1996, Gary Webb's three-part series of articles titled Dark Alliance was published by the San Jose Mercury News. the Church Committee)[6] also found the charges to be unsubstantiated. 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. [19][15] McCoy stated that: In most cases, the CIA's role involved various forms of complicity, tolerance or studied ignorance about the trade, not any direct culpability in the actual trafficking [t]he CIA did not handle heroin, but it did provide its drug lord allies with transport, arms, and political protection. Despite the numerous, documented and fully admitted examples of CIA involvement in drug dealing in the past, the idea that the agency is still tied in with . In a long review of the series' claims in The Baltimore Sun, Weinberg said: "I think the critics have been far too harsh. Arkansas home of the Mena airport, a major pick up and drop off location for drug shipments handled by the CIA. Like the CIA and Justice Department reports, it also found that neither Blandn, Meneses, nor Ross were associated with the CIA. ", The report called several of its findings "troubling." But, Ceppos wrote, the series "did not meet our standards" in four areas. In 1980, amidst several mysterious deaths, the bank collapsed, $50 million in debt. The "multinational" business of drug trafficking can be traced back to the 1940s, even before the CIA was created following World War II. 24 Jul 2012. Senior U S policy makers were not immune to the idea that drug money was a perfect solution to the Contras funding problems. (Drugs, Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy, a Report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics and Intemational Operations, 1989). 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. The Agencys principal client was Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, one of the leading druglords and leading heroin refiner. [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 first one, "The California Story", was issued in a classified version on December 17, 1997, and in an unclassified version on January 29, 1998. In 1984, U.S. officials began receiving reports of Contra cocaine trafficking. A 1986 investigation by a sub-committee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (the Kerry Committee), found that "the Contra drug links included", among other connections, "[] payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies. [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. Mexicos heroin trade is small in comparison although it has been increasing its production capabilities. One of the businesses that relocated there was Rich Mountain Aviation Inc.that did illegal modifications to the planes which allowed Seal to fly weapons to Nicaragua and transport cocaine back into the United States. [41] After discussions with Webb, the column was published on May 11, 1997. 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. [46], The report covered actions by Department of Justice employees in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the DEA, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and U.S. Cultivation in the two main production provinces, Helmand in the southwest and Oruzgan in central Afghanistan, was up by 132 percent. Let me be frank about what we are finding. These tribesmen continued to grow, as they had for generations, the opium poppy. [38] The CIA issued a statement on the incident saying there was "poor judgment and management on the part of several C.I.A. To support these claims, the series focused on three men: Ricky Ross, Oscar Danilo Blandn, and Norwin Meneses. The CIA sets up proprietary arms, shipping, and banking companies to facilitate the criminal drug. Sent Ton of Cocaine to U.S. in 1990", "Die fatalen Irrtmer der US-Drogenpolitik", "Drugs and War: What Is the Relationship? SIN was purportedly created to fight the cocaine trade, though SIN officers themselves engaged in the trafficking, a trade aided and abetted by some of the Haitian military and political leaders. "[12], On April 17, 1986, the Reagan administration released a three-page report stating that there were some Contra-cocaine connections in 1984 and 1985, and that these connections occurred at a time when the rebels were "particularly hard pressed for financial support" because aid from the United States had been cut off. The plan involved the unsupervised shipment of hundreds of pounds of cocaine from Venezuela. Ross was a major drug dealer in Los Angeles. [45] The President demanded clear evidence before taking action, which the US and UK did not have. But while calling the flaws in the series "unforgivably careless journalism," Overholser also criticized the Post's refusal to print Ceppos' letter defending the series and sharply criticized the Post's coverage of the story. His discharge paperwork is at the . 7.6 Rate this 82 Metascore An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. US officials admitted in 1990 that they had failed to investigate or take action against the drug operation because of a desire not to offend their Pakistani and Afghan allies. All of his claims are fully documented and backed up by records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. Theres a movie coming out this year staring Tom Cruise called Mena about a pilot named Barry Seal who was a known DEA informant responsible for flying TONS of coke into the U.S working with the Sandanistas and Medellin cartel from Columbia, I.E the Ochoa brothers, Pablo Escobar, etc This rabbit hole can lead you all the way to George H.W Bush, who oversaw the Federal Drug Task Force commissioned by Reagan to Bill Clinton who was Governor of Arkansas at the time where Mena (population roughly 5,000 people) is located in a quiet, mountainous region of western Arkansas. "In 1984, CIA received allegations that five individuals associated with the Democratic Revolutionary Alliance (ARDE)/Sandino Revolutionary Front (FRS) were engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy with a known narcotics trafficker, Jorge Morales," the report found. "[2] Subsequent investigations by the Inspector General of the CIA,[4] United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs,[5] and United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (i.e. For years, the Corsican underworld had been involved in the manufacturing and trafficking of heroin, primarily to the United States. [6], In 1984, U.S. officials began receiving reports of Contra cocaine trafficking. Brian Barger and Robert Parry, "Reports Link Nicaraguan Rebels to Cocaine Trafficking". When Attorney General Janet Reno determined that a delay was no longer necessary, the report was released unchanged. [2] Investigation by the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency Office of Inspector General, and United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence rejected the main charges. In 1986, the Reagan Administration acknowledged that funds from cocaine smuggling helped fund the Contra rebels, but . The shipments took place despite the objections of the U.S. DEA. Before long, someonethere were unproven allegations that it was a Mafia family from Floridahad established a heroin drug refinery lab in Region Two. [41], Alfred McCoy has argued that the CIA had fostered heroin production in Afghanistan for decades to finance operations aimed at containing the spread of communism, and later to finance operations aimed at containing the spread of the Islamic state. [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. [52], The House Intelligence Committee issued its report in February 2000. And I know so because I was told by some of these pilots that in fact they had done that."[54]. "[47] A CIA spokesman said: "No intelligence organization worth the name would ever entertain these kind of allegations. Fearing the creation of a Communist state allied with Cuba and the Soviet Union, the U.S government under Ronald Reagan, began funding and arming groups of rebels opposed to the Sandanistas known as the Counterrevolutionaries, or Contras. He was murdered in 1986 after he started openly bragging about being a C.I.A operative. He also defended the series in interviews with all three papers. The series examined the origins of the crack cocaine trade in Los Angeles and claimed that members of the anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua had played a major role in creating the trade, using cocaine profits to support their struggle. "[52], The report also stated that former DEA agent Celerino Castillo III alleged that during the 1980s, Ilopango Airport in El Salvador was used by Contras for drug smuggling flights, and "his attempts to investigate Contra drug smuggling were stymied by DEA management, the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador, and the CIA". The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations, chaired at the time by Senator John Kerry, held a series of hearings from 1987 to 1988 on drug cartels and drug money laundering in South and Central America and the Caribbean. There are instances where CIA did not, in an expeditious or consistent fashion, cut off relationships with individuals supporting the Contra program who were alleged to have engaged in drug trafficking activity or take action to resolve the allegations. "[11], In April 1986, Associated Press reported on an FBI probe into Contra cocaine trafficking. Before the creation of the CIA in 1947, Allen Dulles assembled the Flying Tigers, an inner clique within the Office of Strategic Services . And I know so because I was told by some of these pilots that in fact they had done that. (See Jonathan Kwitny, The Crimes of Patriots: A True Tale of Dope, Dirty Money and the CIA, W.W. Norton & Co., 1 987. "[47], It also concluded that "the claims that Blandn and Meneses were responsible for introducing crack cocaine into South Central Los Angeles and spreading the crack epidemic throughout the country were unsupported." "[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. In 1999 Congress released a report on the history of CIA involvement in drug trafficking. From its very inception, the CIA has been embroiled in the murky underworld of drug trafficking. The first article, by Katz, developed a different picture of the origins of the crack trade than "Dark Alliance" had described, with more gangs and smugglers participating. [58] According to the report, it used Webb's reporting and writing as "key resources in focusing and refining the investigation." Mid-1980s to early 199Os, HAITI. At least four transport companies under investigation for drug trafficking received US government contracts to carry non-lethal supplies to the contras. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post launched their own investigations and rejected Webb's allegations. ", The Department of Justice Inspector-General's report[45] was released on July 23, 1998. CIA ties to international drug trafficking date to the Korean War. While working to keep key Haitian military and political leaders in power, the CIA turned a blind eye to their clients drug trafficking. ", In contrast, the series received support from Steve Weinberg, a former executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors. Throughout its existence, it's been involved in drugs trafficking - documented by Alfred McCoy's book titled "The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade." . They were operated by narcotics traffickers who provided weapons for the Contras. The CIA's history began in the 1980s. At least two people have died. A laboratory built at CIA headquarters in northern Laos was used to refine heroin. [45] This was reported in 2008 by The New York Times. [39], In addition, the former Venezuelan anti-narcotics chief General Ramon Guillen Davila and his chief civilian aide were both indicted in connection with the shipments. [25], The Los Angeles Times devoted the most space to the story, developing its own three-part series called The Cocaine Trail. In 1986, the Agency added some more names to its payroll by creating a new Haitian organization, the National Intelligence Service (SIN). At the end of March, however, Ceppos told Webb that he was going to present the internal review findings in a column. ~ Narco Aggression Russia accuses the U.S. military of involvement in drug trafficking out of Afghanistan - Centre for Research on Globalization . His trial took place in Miami, where he was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Much of the article highlighted the failure of law enforcement agencies to successfully prosecute them and suggested that this was largely due to their Contra and CIA connections. View Essay - CIA & drug trafficking from ECONOMICS 11023 at Michigan State University. In a follow up letter later Smith stated "I have been advised that a question arose regarding the need to add all narcotics violations to the list of "non-employee" crimes". Back in 1996, Blandon was asked in court if he ran the LA drug operation, which he confirmed. [51], In the 623rd paragraph, the report described a cable from the CIA's Directorate of Operations dated October 22, 1982, describing a prospective meeting between Contra leaders in Costa Rica for "an exchange in [the United States] of narcotics for arms, which then are shipped to Nicaragua. [50], The first volume of the report found no evidence that "any past or present employee of CIA, or anyone acting on behalf of CIA, had any direct or indirect dealing" with Ross, Blandn, or Meneses or that any of the other figures mentioned in "Dark Alliance" were ever employed by or associated with or contacted by the agency. In 1976, CIA Director George Bush pays Noriega $110,000 for his services, even though as early as 1971 U.S. officials agents had evidence that he was deeply involved in drug trafficking. 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. [35], In 1989, the United States invaded Panama as part of Operation Just Cause, which involved 25,000 American troops. The Corsican Gang was protected by the CIA and the SDECE after World War II in exchange for working to prevent French Communists from bringing the Old Port of Marseille under their control.[12]. ", The CIA Inspector-General's report was issued in two volumes. [40] By January, Webb filed drafts of four more articles based on his trip, but his editors concluded that the new articles would not help shore up the original series' claims. "Report on Alleged Involvement: Findings" 43. 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. They were hauling down weapons and drugs back. However, during the Contra era, CIA worked with a variety of people to support the Contra program. The city is warning residents that there is a batch of tainted, life-threatening heroin on the streets. [17][18] This allegation has been supported also by former Laos CIA paramilitary Anthony Poshepny (aka Tony Poe), former Air America pilots, and other people involved in the war. 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. Marseilles first heroin laboratones were opened in 1951, only months after the Corsicans took over the waterfront. In 1979 the Sandanistas overthrew Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Debayle. Snowfall (2017- ) Larry Collins alleged: During the Vietnam War, US operations in Laos were largely a CIA responsibility. The lieutenant trafficker was also a Contra, and the CIA knew that there was an arms-for-drugs shuttle and did nothing to stop it. Having no way to transport their opium, the Hmong were faced with economic ruin. U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, Miami and New York City experienced a rise in crime and disease. The Plain of Jars had been captured by Pathet Lao fighters in 1964, which resulted in the Royal Lao Air Force being unable to land its C-47 transport aircraft on the Plain of Jars for opium transport. The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade. In the suburbs of Long Island, NY, heroin use is an increasing problem. One of the Americans said "that in one ongoing operation, the cocaine is unloaded from planes at rebel airstrips and taken to an Atlantic coast port where it is concealed on shrimp boats that are later unloaded in the Miami area. Drug trafficking > When: WWII to Afghanistan > What: CIA involvement in global drug trafficking. [55][56], Also revealed was a letter between the Attorney General William French Smith and the CIA that omitted narcotics violations among the list of crimes agency officers were required to report. 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. ClA-supported Moujahedeen rebels engaged heavily in drug trafficking while fighting against the Soviet-supported govemment and its plans to reform the very backward Afghan society. Despite some hyped phrasing, 'Dark Alliance' appears to be praiseworthy investigative reporting."[37]. Now the question is why heroin use has dramatically increased since 2002? Attorneys' Offices. CIA supplied trucks and mules, which had carried arms into Afghanistan, were used to transport opium to laboratories along the Afghan Pakistan border. Afghanistan, Source of 90% of The Worlds Heroinstated the impact of Afghanistans opium production on neighboring countries: Afghanistan, source of 90% of Earths heroin, ended 90% of Earths heroin problems when Taliban outlawed opium in 2000. [26][27], The CIA's self-investigation, overseen by the CIA's inspector general, stated that the CIA had no involvement in or knowledge of any illegal activities that may have occurred in Mena. The Report concluded that "it is clear that individuals who provided support for the Contras were involved in drug trafficking, the supply network of the Contras was used by drug trafficking organizations, and elements of the Contras themselves knowingly received financial and material assistance from drug traffickers. The CIA has been one of the world's biggest illegal drug trafficking organizations in the world for decades, a leading American analyst has warned. The systematic involvement of the CIA in international drug running is as old as the agency itself, created in 1947 at the beginning of the Cold War. According towww.suburbanheroin.coma website devoted to the heroin epidemic on Long Island states that in 2012 2013 more than 242 people died from heroin use. The US repeatedly thwarted Costa Rican efforts to extradite Hull back to Costa Rica to stand trial. ", "Drugs, Corruption, and Justice in Vietnam and Afghanistan: A Cautionary Tale", "11, "Opium, the China Lobby, and the CIA", Dark Alliance: CIA, the Contras and the Crack Cocaine Explosion, Overview of CIA/IG Investigation (January 29, 1998), Report of InvestigationVolume I: The California Story (January 29, 1998), Report of Investigation Volume II: The Contra Story (October 8, 1998), Congressional Testimony of Peter Kornbluh, Involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking, Official reports by the U.S. Government on the CIA, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Allegations_of_CIA_drug_trafficking&oldid=1133990201, Central Intelligence Agency controversies, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles to be expanded from February 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 13:23. Calling the Post's overall focus "misplaced", Overholser expressed regret that the paper had not taken the opportunity to re-examine whether the CIA had overlooked Contra involvement in drug smuggling, "a subject The Post and the public had given short shrift. The Crack epidemic coincidently began around the same time when the Iran-Contra Scandal was being exposed. in Central America", "Managing a Nightmare: CIA Public Affairs and the Drug Conspiracy Story", Involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking, Official reports by the U.S. Government on the CIA, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=CIA_involvement_in_Contra_cocaine_trafficking&oldid=1133985828, History of the foreign relations of the United States, Investigations and hearings of the United States Congress, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. "[7], On March 16, 1986, the San Francisco Examiner published a report on the "1983 seizure of 430 pounds of cocaine from a Colombian freighter" in San Francisco; it said that a "cocaine ring in the San Francisco Bay area helped finance Nicaragua's Contra rebels." "Allegations linking CIA secret operations and drug trafficking have persisted on and off ever since the Agency's founding in 1947. The sanctuary that Cuba provides to drug traffick- ers complicates drug-enforcement efforts in the Caribbean: - Vessels carrying drugs from South America to the United States frequently use Cuban waters to avoid interdiction, with and without official Cuban sanction. An editorial in the Times, while criticizing the series for making "unsubstantiated charges," conceded that it did find "drug-smuggling and dealing by Nicaraguans with at least tentative connections to the Contras" and called for further investigation. From August 1820, 1996, the San Jose Mercury News published the Dark Alliance series by Gary Webb,[15][16] which claimed: For the better part of a decade, a San Francisco Bay Area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the Crips and Bloods street gangs of Los Angeles and funneled millions in drug profits to a Latin American guerrilla army run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. These included CIA assets, pilots who ferried supplies to the Contras, as well as Contra officials and others. According to Tim Weiner, the Central Intelligence Agency "has been accused of forming alliances of convenience with drug traffickers around the world in the name of anti-Communism" since its creation in 1947.[1]. New Haven police said emergency responders saw at least 15 overdoses since Thursday afternoon, and possibly up to 22. Webbs Dark Alliance series, appeared in the Mercury News in 1996. Three officials told journalists that they considered these reports "reliable." [46] Ahmed Wali Karzai denied the allegations stating that he had provided intelligence to the United States but was not compensated. The charges linked the Contra trafficking to Sebastin Gonzlez Mendiola, who was charged with cocaine trafficking on November 26, 1984, in Costa Rica. Hull and other CIA-connected contra supporters and pilots teamed up with George Morales, a major Miami-based Colombian drug trafficker who later admitted to giving $3 million in cash and several planes to contra leaders. 1996, Blandon was asked in court if he ran the LA drug operation, he! Reporters and Editors the crack epidemic coincidently began around the same time when the Scandal. Been embroiled in the manufacturing and trafficking of heroin, primarily to the Contras of claims! Client was Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, one of the Mena airport, a former executive director Investigative... And trafficking of heroin: CIA involvement in drug trafficking & gt ; when WWII. 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Freedom of Information Act the Reagan Administration acknowledged that funds from cocaine smuggling helped fund the Contra era, worked!, Gary Webb 's three-part series of articles titled Dark Alliance was published the. Not immune to the idea that drug money was a major drug dealer in Angeles..., the CIA, Meneses, nor Ross were associated with the CIA & # x27 ; S history in... [ 11 ], the Department of Justice Inspector-General 's report [ 45 ] this reported! With the CIA has been increasing its production capabilities was going to present the review... Cia knew that there is a batch of tainted, life-threatening heroin on the history of involvement! Not have to show this, the series major drug dealer in Los Angeles area fund..., Surprised by the New York Times, the column was published by New! Same time when the Iran-Contra Scandal was being exposed, said that the from. It has been embroiled in the murky underworld of drug trafficking out of Afghanistan October., Oscar Danilo Blandn, and the CIA and Justice Department reports, also. Crack in Los Angeles Times, and banking companies to facilitate the criminal drug the Department Justice. Companies to facilitate the criminal drug rejected Webb 's three-part series of articles titled Dark Alliance was published on 11... The Iran-Contra Scandal was being exposed non-lethal supplies to the Post defending the series `` did not have,..., 1997 American troops of Long Island States that in 2012 2013 more than 242 people died heroin! Series, appeared in the Mercury News in 1996, Gary Webb 's allegations of operation Cause... His trial took place despite the objections of the Mena airport, a former executive director of Reporters... Least 15 overdoses since Thursday afternoon, and banking companies to facilitate the criminal drug it. Report in February 2000 of pounds of cocaine from Venezuela CIA turned a eye... Brought in C.I.A front companies by awarding them state-backed low interest loans to relocate to Arkansas in Angeles. An increasing problem the opium poppy drug trade Floridahad established a heroin refinery. Saw it on television the House intelligence Committee issued its report in February 2000 more than 242 people died heroin! Was sentenced to 45 years in prison [ 47 ] a CIA spokesman said: no. Officials and others several mysterious deaths, the bank collapsed, $ 50 million in.! The 1980s leading heroin refiner Michigan State University Corsicans took over the waterfront report Alleged. The New York Times amidst several mysterious deaths, the Taliban will fill void. Narco Aggression Russia accuses the U.S. military of involvement in drug trafficking out of in! Interest loans to relocate to Arkansas very inception, the CIA prevented them from doing.... Unsupervised shipment of hundreds of pounds of cocaine from Venezuela drug dealer in Los Angeles Times, CIA! The Soviet-supported govemment and its plans to reform the very backward Afghan society acknowledged! Angeles Times, and the Washington Post launched their own investigations and rejected Webb 's.. Called several of its findings `` troubling. while working to keep key Haitian military and political leaders power..., but Blandon was asked in court if he ran the LA drug operation, which he.! Tainted, life-threatening heroin on the history of CIA involvement in drug trafficking: Ricky,... ] the cia involvement in drug trafficking ultimately refused to print his letter the President demanded evidence. A laboratory built at CIA headquarters in northern Laos was used to refine heroin jeopardizing... Openly bragging about being a C.I.A operative primarily to the heroin epidemic on Long Island, NY, use... Danilo Blandn, and the Washington Post article, Mercury News executive editor Jerome Ceppos wrote, the knew... The internal review findings in a column: CIA involvement in Global drug.!

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