From: Ralph McGehee Subject: CIABASE DATA: Drugs and the CIA (3/4) Date: 7 Oct 1996 23:51:34 GMT (continued ...) cia responsible beginning 69 for coordinating all clandestine intel re drugs. rockefeller commission report. (1975). report on cia activities within the u.s. 221-224 cia use of former nazi claus barbie and his role in drug traffic. counterspy 8/83 42 cia used lsd to discredit a target's character. marks, j. (1979). the search for the manchurian candidate 103 colombia, nicaragua, 84 drug dealer ochoa, kingpin of medellin cartel was capture. dea proposed a deal if ochoa would implicate sandinistas. he refused. cia, dea and bush's newly formed antidrug task force used barry seal to try to implicate sandinistas in drug traffic. seal testified he photoed sandinista soldiers and an official. seal a part of supply net supervised by cia and north. c-123 used by seal to implicate sandinistas later shot down with hasenfus. the nation 9/5/87 p189-192 contragate report does not discuss allegations of contra drug-running. ignored is cia's costa rican station chief joe fernandez's testimony that "a higher authority" overruled his decision to cut off two contra leaders he suspected of smuggling narcotics. the nation 12/5/87 p669 contragate, 86 money launderer for colombian cocaine cartel told senate subcommittee on terrorism, narcotics, and international communications that he passed nearly $10 million to contras thru felix rodriguez, former cia operative. the nation 12/5/87 contragate, 87 memo from committees investigating allegations of contra drug smuggling to iran-contra committee. says allegations unfounded, further investigation unwarranted. ica 630-2. kelso investigation discussed. iran-contra affair. (congress committees) 648 costa rica. during his testimony tony avirgan said that harry barrantes, a major of the costa rican rural guard in charge of an anti-terrorism group, had said that he had for months penetrated the fdn and drug trafficking operations centering around john hull. avirgan, t., & honey. m. (eds.). (1987). lapenca: on trial in costa rica 97 costa rica, 88-89 john hull the us rancher who aided the contras for the cia was arrested in costa rica and charged with drug smuggling. the nation 3/6/89 p296 cuba. case involving cuban exiles and drug traffic traced to phone number zodiac company, a cia front. investigation dropped. blum, w. (1986). the cia a forgotten history 214 cuba, bay of pigs vets. estimated that 61-75 at least 8% of bay of pigs vets had been arrested or convicted on drug crime charges. marshall, j., scott p.d., & hunter, j. (1987). the iran-contra connection 127 dci webster announced on 12/12/ 88 that the cia will assume a greater role in efforts to stop the flow of narcotics. this includes supporting interdiction op at mexico border. washington post 12/13/88 a3 dea dec 83 says afghanistan rebels are financing their battle at least partially thru sale opium, some of which comes to u.s. in form of heroin. david meloick, dea's congressional liaison said 52% of heroin brought into u.s. last year believed to have come from area of afghanistan, pakistan and iran. american interests afghanistan contradictory over fighting drug traffic and political goals. washington post 12/17/83 dea official in embassy in san jose, costa rica said the contras were part of the drugs-for-arms trade in latin america. dr. hugo spadafora fingered a contra drug smuggler from costa rica, said the smuggler fled to panama and was being protected by noriega. spadafora was beheaded. mother jones 4/87 p48-9 documents reveal that in 86 north, gen. paul gorman, cia man dewey clairridge, and elliot abrams lobbied justice dept to treat leniently honduras' gen. jose abdenego bueso rosa who was involved in plot to kill honduran president roberto suazo cordova. iran contra report does not mention name of conspirator nor central am leader. also, report does not mention that gen. rosa, former head of honduran armed forces joint command, was contra supporter and was to fund op thru cocaine smuggling into u.s. american officials feared rosa might talk about contra drug ops if justice dept did not go easy on him. the nation 12/5/87 p668 laos. beginning in 64 vang pao became drug lord of hmong. per ouane rattikone, commander of laotian army, and gen thao ma, then commander laotian air force, air america began flying hmong opium to markets in long tieng and vientiane. tony poe, a cia officer who worked with vang pao, said vang pao made millions in drug traffic. air logistics for opium trade further improved when cia and usaid gave vang pao financial assistance in forming his own air line, xieng khouang air transport. formed in late 67 with two c-47s acquired from air american and continental air services. company's schedule limited to shuttle flights between long tieng and vientiane. mccoy, a.w. (1991). the politics of heroin: cia complicity in the global drug traffic 318 laos. chief of staff of laotian army, that rcvd 90% of its budget from the u.s. operated largest heroin factory in world in n.e. laos. traffic from there to a relative of vietnam's prime minister ky. whole svnese gvt dealing heroin to u.s. troops. number cia operatives became involved. nugen hand bank founded by michael john hand, a green beret and a cia contract in laos. reported to be dealing in heroin. bank a major money laundering conduit sea, australia, golden triangle. z magazine 1/91 70 laos. cia complicitous laotian drug trade at number levels. felt it had to support opium crop, because main hmong cash crop. cia used extensive air net of light propeller planes to move crop out of laos for hmong. opium taken to long tieng where vang pao operated a large heroin lab. gave vang pao private airline called zieng khouang air transport. z magazine 1/91 70 laos, 54-75 book by roger warner, back fire: the cia's secret war in laos and its link to the war in vietnam, (1995), reviewed by susan brownmiller. vang pao took his cut from the opium trade. he deserted to u.s. in 75, six months before the pathet laos triumph. warner agrees with alfred mccoy that cia's mission did not include a war on drugs, but he finds insufficient evidence that cia ran the trade. the nation 9/18/95 288-90 laos, 59-73 movie air america depicts airline as complicit in opium traffic. nyt and wsj op-ed pieces decried movies theme. extra 12/90 11 laos, 60-70 see article "opium and politics in laos," by david feingold, in adams, n. & mccoy, a. (eds.) (1970). laos 322-339 laos, 61-75 cia intervention in laos changed narcotics traffic. corsican charter airlines forced out of business in 65, then cia's airline, air america, began flying hmong opium out of hills to long tieng and vientiane. cia cross-border ops into china in 62 when shan rebels who organized forays began financing shan nationalist cause by selling burmese opium to another cia protege, laotian gen phoumi nosavan. prior to that time much heroin sent to bangkok. in late 60s air force bombing disrupted laotian opium production and forced hmong to become refugees. but laotian labs, major suppliers of g.i.'s in vietnam, simply increased imports of burmese heroin. cia analysis identified 21 opium refineries in tri-border area. 7 capable of producing near pure heroin located in border area of burma and thailand where paramilitary groups closely identified with cia ci and intel ops since 50s. mccoy, a.w. (1991). the politics of heroin: cia complicity in the global drug traffic 288 laos, 65-70 cia gave vang pao two old c-47s and renamed them xieng khouang airline aka "air opium." warner, r. (1995). back fire 255 laos, 65-73 former cia officer tony po said on camera that the cia knew vang pao was making millions from opium and heroin trafficking. po gave precise info on routes by which vang pao moved his heroin from laos to vietnam, using planes that cia had given him, while maintaining full cia cooperation. in these times 9/25/90 17 laos, 66-70 air america pilots boasted to frank mcculloch of time-life bureau, that air america pilots flying opium out of laos. and shackley approved. he did not pursue lead. all in los knew hmong traded opium. doug blaufard former cos said "without doubt" air america planes carried opium. vang pao's hmong known to deal opium. ig investigation. details. corn, d. (1994). blond ghost: ted shackley and the cia's crusades 148-51 laos, 71 the drug trade and laos. gibson, j.w. (1986). the perfect war 395 laos, 60-75 cia created secret army of 30,000 hmong tribesmen to battle communists. hmong's main cash crop opium, so cia allowed gen vang pao to use cia air america to collect opium from scattered villages. in late 69 cia's various clients opened a net of heroin labs in golden triangle. in first years they exported high-grade #4 heroin to u.s. troops in vietnam. after their withdrawal, golden triangle labs exported directly to u.s., capturing 1/3 of american market. mccoy, a.w. (1991). the politics of heroin: cia complicity in the global drug traffic 19 laos, cambodia, 91 cia identified a shipment of drugs moving thru laotian military convoy to a cambodian port. drug shipment uncovered by cia's narcotics center, a new program that uses a vast array of satellites, electronic listening posts, and humint to monitor traffic. program also runs ops to disrupt traffic. intel source said center has achieved several "stunning successes" that remain secret. u.s. gvt working with laotian gvt to develop drug interdiction program. washington times 4/25/91 a11 laos, china, burma, 61-66 in early 60s, william young began sending lao and theung teams into china's yunnan province to collect intel. teams operated out of nam yu. team members tapped telegraph lines, watched roads, etc. used shan forces for security. cia used immense opium caravans as cover for trips to and from china. corn, d. (1994). blond ghost: ted shackley and the cia's crusades 143 laos, thailand, 62-72 cia worked with thai border police who assigned to run meo op from thailand. op run from udorn airbase. thai bpp served as radio operators, training cadre, and support troops for vang pao's men. thais operated under control of only 2 cia officers - who lived with vang pao - vint lawrence one and anthony poshepny. bio on both. they lived in mountain hut for nearly 2 years - this early after 62 geneva agreements. further details of vang pao, touby ly fong and drug traffic. grant, z. (1991). facing the phoenix 148-160 laos, vietnam, 56-62 nhu est two pipelines from laotian poppy fields to svn. major one was air laos commerciale, managed by corsican gangster francisci. nhu also used vnese air force transports. mccoy, a.w. (1991). the politics of heroin: cia complicity in the global drug traffic 203-4 laos, vietnam, mccoy's books on the politics of heroin, are amazing pieces of work. after having worked in the mountains of lao and talking extensively to many lao and hmong, i am pretty convinced that what mccoy documents is true. i cannot vouch for the vietnam side of things, but, cia -- like the french before them used opium production as the means of exerting influence on mountain groups in the region. email coord generation.net 2/9/96 latin america. rene corvo: miami cuban who arranged illegal arms shipment to contras; his 1988 indictment on antineutrality charges dropped. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 260 latin america, 73 in fall of 73, cia began intercepting calls between u.s. and latin america to identify narcotics traffickers. john s. warner, houston's deputy, pointed out this against the law, and cia stopped. kessler, r. (1992). inside the cia 238 latin america, 80-89 adler berriman seal, gunrunner, cia asset, gvt informant, narcotics trafficker, etc. let slip clues re u.s. how gvt went into business with drug smugglers, allowing tons of narcotics enter country as a necessary cost of geopolitical objectives; subordinated drug enforcement to overthrowing nicaragua's sandinistas; allowed two southern states to be used as major distribution points, then interfered with all attempts by local police and federal agents to eradicate the problem. penthouse july 89 39-40 latin america, 85-96 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 named the fuerza democratica nicaraguense (nicaraguan democratic force) or fdn, the largest of several anti-communist groups run by the cia. drug network opened the first pipeline between colombia's cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of los angeles, a city now known as the crack capital of the world. former fdn leader and drug dealer oscar danilo blandon reyes testified during a recent cocaine trafficking trial in san diego. recently declassified reports, federal court testimony, undercover tapes, court records here and abroad and hundreds of hours of interviews over past 12 months leave no doubt that blandon was no ordinary drug dealer. san jose mercury news 8/18/96 latin america, 89-94 andean initiative is a $5.5 billion - 5-year drug interdiction and eradication operation in bolivia, colombia and peru. pentagon's 1992 budget for war on drugs was $1.08 billion, that in addition to andean initiative funding. program includes establishing radar facilities on south american coast and surveillance by usaf awacs and usn vessels. initiative differs from previous drug operations - u.s. special forces are training military forces, whereas before dea trained national police forces. program serves dual purpose - counterinsurgency (peru's sendero luminoso) and drug eradication. z magazine 11/90 84-88 latin america, 89 despite denials by the bush adm that u.s. forces have a direct role in the fight against south american cocaine cartels, army special ops forces boast they are on the front line in the war on drugs. the nation 12/11/89 704 latin america, 90 anti-drug effort turns to military. washington post 4/25/90 a31 latin america, 91-92 secret pentagon study paints a grim picture of a drug war stalemated by neglect, bureaucratic bungling and corruption. bush's much touted 89 andean initiative "only marginally impacted on [traffic]." peru is a quagmire of deceit and corruption, attainment of u.s. objectives impossible. medellin cartel is crippled though the flow of cocaine from colombian processing centers hasn't been slowed. micro-managing by congress and bureaucratic inertia have held up anti-drug aid to latin america. report advises against deeper pentagon involvement in war: "[avoid] short term, relatively ephemeral, military solutions." newsweek 1/27/92 4 latin america, 91 article, "the newest war: the pentagon's battle against latin america's drug lords is escalating. but it faces growing criticism - and could create problems for military." newsweek 1/6/91 18-23 latin america, 91 on 5/1/91 state dept awarded 5-year contract to dynacorp, an aviation service, to conduct air ops for war on drugs. to be used in drug raids, eradication campaigns and reconnaissance. dynacorp proposed 3-subcontractors including eagle aviation services and technology (east). east enlisted by secord as part of secret contra supply op. east's founder, richard gadd, chartered aircraft for pentagon and cia so that they could not be traced back to u.s. the nation 6/10/91 764 latin america, 92 panama-based u.s. southern command now has 35,000 troops at its disposal. gen george joulwan insists drugs are its highest priority. support structure provides support and assistance to host nation forces that includes a civic action component, ground-based radar systems, a high-tech commo system, special intel teams in regional embassies, and ongoing joint ops by u.s. and regional militaries. infrastructure serves as an integrated regional counterinsurgency effort and u.s. has increasingly focused on guerrillas in peru. details of sendero luminoso - shining path. covert action information bulletin (now covert action quarterly) fall 92 10-16, 60-62 latin america, 93 drug war: a quietly escalating failure - policymakers have an opportunity to reject punitive, wasteful and destabilizing policies. nacla (magazine re latin america) 5/93 29-34 latin america, colombia, 96 latin heroin replaces asian. 9/3/96, dea chief, thomas constantine, gave official figures on battle between asian and colombian heroin seized in the u.s.: 1993, 15 percent colombian; 1994, 32 percent colombian; and 1995, 62 percent colombian. colombian drug lords "are positioning themselves to be central players in the western hemisphere heroin market by the year 2000." this is coherent with their increasingly widely-applied strategy of paying middlemen and dealers in heroin to encourage use (see "new techniques on both sides of drug battle"; int, n. 38/2). intelligence - a computerized intelligence newsletter published in france 9/9/96 52 latin america, colombia, nicaragua, 90 dozens weapons given by u.s. to contras acquired by colombia drug dealers. now an alliance between colombian drug cartels and criminal orgs in italy and spain to provide and distribute cocaine in europe. contras appear to sell weapons in c.a. market. m67 fragmentation grenades and ussr made ak-47 assault rifles and rpg grenade launchers. contras when demobilized turned in only half of weapons. half of redeye portable antiaircraft missiles missing. washington post 9/18/90 a16 latin america, ecuador, italy, thailand, 95 intel assets in rome, mexico city, and thailand assisted in arrest of gloria canales in ecuador this month. ap 12/26/95 luis rodriguez: owner of frigorificos de puntarenas, indicted on drug charges that were later dropped. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 261 many hired during 50s have reached retirement age. cia reformulating mission. it seeking recruits to man its new emphasis on drugs, terrorism, human espionage and economic intel. also seeking computer operators and language specialists. boston globe 11/15/ 90 mexico challenges u.s. to prove marijuana production has soared. (challenge to cia report). los angeles times * 3/21/90 a5 mexico drug control: revised drug interdiction approach is needed in mexico. gao/nsaid-93-152 53 pages mexico. miguel angel felix gallardo: mexican trafficker suspected of shipping cocaine to u.s. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 260 mexico, 89-90 federal judge ruled doctor indicted in torture-murder of enrique "kiki" camarena was kidnapped illegally from mexico and must be returned. washington post 8/1/90 a3 mexico, 60-91 fighting drug war in mexico has preoccupied the u.s. since the 60s. drug control assistance has boosted technological capabilities of mexican security forces. aid used for all aspects - detection, eradication, intel and interdiction. resource center bulletin winter (12) 91 3-5 mexico, 77-89 dfs became greedy in 82 and began stealing cars in california and drug smugglers took them to mexico. dfs head nazar indicted in u.s. court over strenuous objections of cia and against orders of kennedy's superiors in justice dept. penthouse 12/89 168 mexico, 77-89 miguel nazar haro, former chief of mexican intel d.f.s, the equivalent of the kgb, was an agent of the cia, indicted for stealing hundreds of u.s. cars. u.s. gvt secretly arranged his release and escape back to mexico. nazar continues to act as a major intel asset. penthouse investigation revealed u.s. intel aligned itself with criminal drug activities by using nazar as the cia chief asset and cut-out in mexico and thruout latin america. penthouse 12/89 58-60 mexico, 77-89 u.s. looked the other way when nazar, head of dfs used his infallible (interrogation) techniques on behalf american agencies while he carried out hundreds, perhaps thousands of political executions of mexican leftists and political dissidents. dfs (federal security directorate) administering drug traffic. penthouse 12/89 60 mexico, 80-89 mexican drug trafficker "alex" interviewed by penthouse. alex said dfs and police, force drug smugglers to work for them. alex would inspect and resold all marijuana dfs seized. good quality smuggled into u..s the rest destroyed frequently as a p.r. exercise. dfs took 25% of profits. drug smugglers include miguel angel felix gallardo and rafael caro quintero. penthouse 12/89 162,168 mexico, 81-90 defense lawyers forced gvt hand over dea reports re lawrence harrison, a witness for major mexican drug traffickers. harrison told dea he heard in early 80s that guerrillas--presumably contras-- were trained at a ranch in mexico owned by drug lord rafael caro quintero, now imprisoned in mexico for participating in camarena murder. harrison also said camp watched over by mexico's federal security directorate and sponsored by cia. other samples of drug dealers working with knowledge of cia. the nation 8/20/90 156 mexico, 83-89 trial in los angeles of four men accused of involvement in 85 murder of u.s. narcotics agent enrique camarena, has brought to surface years of resentment by drug enforcement admin officials of cia long collaboration with a former mexican secret police unit heavily involved in drug trafficking. according to dea sources and documents, mexican drug trafficking cartel that kidnapped and murdered camarena in central city of guadalajara in february 1985 operated until then with virtual impunity--not only because in league with mexico's powerful federal security directorate but because it believed its activities were secretly sanctioned by cia. wp 7/16/90 a1, 16, 17 mexico, 84-90 manuel buendia, mexican jack anderson, gunned down may 84. probably killed in coverup of international drug-dealing net that had complicity of mexican gvt and looped in cia. in 89 mexican gvt charged jose antonio zorilla who at time of murder was head of federal security directorate, or dfs, mexico's fbi. dea docs at los angeles trial show buenda was investigating drugs etc. dea interviews with laurence victor harrison show links. a vasquez had told buendia about a ranch allegedly owned by drug traffickers and used by cia to train guerrillas. airstrips owned by drug lords used by cia to fly arms to contras. washington post jack anderson 8/21/90 d13 mexico, 85-90 mexican suspect denies 85 death of dea agent. details of case re aldana, herrera, machain plus others in wp 2/10/90 a14,16. time 2/12/90 25. washington post 2/1/90 a5 mexico, 85-90 "camarena affair, another covert ops drug scandal." unclassified 9/90 4 mexico, 87-90 informant puts cia at ranch of agent's killer. (u.s. drug agent enrique camarena salazar). lat * 7/5/90 a1 mexico, 90 brother-in-law of former mexican pres found guilty of racketeering, kidnapping and conspiracy in death of u.s. drug agent enrique "kiki" camarena. washington post 8/1/90 a12 mexico, 90 mexican federal police officers will be permitted to operate in the u.s. under new guidelines governing anti-drug cooperation between the two countries, mexican and u.s. officials said yesterday. washington post 6/30/90, a25 mexico, 90 mexico asked u.s. to extradite senior drug enforcement admin agent and key dea informant to face charges of illegality abducting defendant indicted in 85 torture-murder of dea agent enrique "kiki" carmarena. washington post 7/21/90 a4 mexico, 92 2 cararena defendants go on trial. washington post 12/3/92 a3 mexico, 92 dea's cross-border abduction of mexican doctor ruled legal by supreme court because it not explicitly forbidden by extradition treaty. intelligence newsletter 6/25/92 3,4 mexico, 92 for several decades u.s. and mexico have mounted a campaign against drug production and trafficking - report on. resource center bulletin fall (9) 92 6 pages mexico, 92 judge said informant told u.s. gvt in september that gvt prosecuting wrong doctor for administering drugs to keep an american drug agent alive for torture - this at alvarez machain's trial. washington times 12/17/92 a6 mexico, 92 u.s. presses mexico in drug gang deaths. dea said to point to grave of 4 americans. washington post 12/18/92 a39 mexico, 96 clinton outlined his plans for increasing u.s.-mexico coordination on fighting drug trafficking. clinton's order ties u.s. and mexican efforts in such areas as tracking fugitives, halting money laundering and methamphetamine production, and boosting drug treatment strategies, police coordination and border patrols. mexico has quickly emerged as leading focus of u.s. anti-drug efforts, having been identified as handling 70 percent of illegal drugs entering the us. adm decided against adding mexico to list of decertified countries that include colombia, nigeria, syria, iran, burma and afghanistan. clinton's order calls for: developing methods of stopping money-laundering and other financial crimes related to drug trafficking. reducing demand for drugs, including sharing info between the two countries on effective drug prevention and treatment programs. a study by u.s. and mexican officials of methods to attack production of methamphetamine, which ``has become the drug of choice in california and is becoming more common across u.s.'' tighter controls on chemicals and other ingredients used in the production of drugs. steps for increasing cross-border law enforcement efforts and sharing criminal info. improved mechanisms for capturing and returning fugitives across the u.s.-mexican border; methods for denying international drug traffickers use of air, land and sea travel routes. upi 4/8/96 mexico, guatemala, 81-84 cia trained guatemalan guerrillas in early 1980s at a ranch near veracruz, mexico, owned by drug lord rafael caro quntero, one of the murderers of u.s. drug agent "kiki" camarena, according to drug enforcement admin report made public here. wp 7/5/90, a8. doj asked iran-contra prosecutor walsh's office review allegations cia used ranch of mexican drug trafficker as a training base in early 80s. wp 7/6/90, a4. judge in enrique "kiki" camarena murder trial today called "incompetent" testimony of a prosecution witness who had alleged that mexican drug traffickers were linked with cia and were helping to arm nicaraguan rebels. washington post 7/17/90, a11 mexico, italy, 95 former mexican police commander, armando pavon reyes, wanted in connection with the 1985 torture and murder of dea agent enrique camarena salazar, was arrested in a milan piazza. ap 10/17/95 mexico, seven mexican anti-drug agents murdered by the mexican army. murdered agents sent to scene by dea. details in intelligence newsletter 12/4/91 3 middle east, england, 85-91 chuck lewis, then associated press's washington bureau chief met "six or seven" times with oliver north over hostage situation. reporters who wrote contra stories, robert parry and brian barger, said lewis delayed publication of several of their stories for weeks or months. reporters not told of meetings. "if he was dealing with oliver north on terry anderson, at a minimum he shouldn't have insisted on editing our stories on north,..." barger said the delayed articles involved allegations of drug trafficking, corruption and cia involvement with the contras. "on some of these stories we had 2 or 3 dozen sources." washington post 12/14/91 c1,8 nicaragua. federico vaughan: official of nicaraguan sandinistas whose picture allegedly taken with pablo escobar by barry seal as part of a u.s. government-financed sting operation. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 263 nicaragua, 81-96 news story has made danilo blandon the star. "a full-service drug dealer, is the star of a recent series of explosive articles on how fbi ignored and cia encouraged california cocaine and crack consumption to finance contra rebels in nicaragua during mid-1980s. in addition to tons of inexpensive cocaine, blandon also sold assault weapons and sophisticated commo gear, including hidden microphone detectors. blandon first appeared in dea files in 1981 and was arrested during police raids in 1986, but no charges were filed. again in 1991, he was arrested, this time for money laundering in los angeles, but case was dropped at federal request. blandon, 45, is youngest son of wealthy nicaraguan landowners and worked for somoza in the late 1970s before raising money for contras during 80s. he was a full-time dea informant and, as a businessman, ran car rentals in miami, tampa, fort lauderdale and orlando, all in florida, plus restaurants in miami and san diego, a car lot in los angeles and import-export businesses on the east and west coasts. his right-hand men in the contra drug business were nicaraguan norwin meneses, 48, and american "freeway" rick ross, 36, who, by 1987, had one of the largest crack cocaine distribution networks in the country. blandon is "the johnny appleseed of crack in california -- the crips' and bloods' [los angeles gangs] first direct-connect to cocaine cartels of colombia". according to scientific reports, crack was invented in san francisco, in 1974 and, with help of blandon and others, the world epidemic spread from there in the late 1970s and early 1980s. intelligence - a computerized intelligence newsletter published in france 9/9/96 14 nicaragua, 82-87 see "nicaraguan rebels linked drug trafficking." rebels in north costa rica have engaged in cocaine trafficking, according to us investigators and american volunteers who work with the rebels. washington post 12/27/85 a22 nicaragua, 82-96 congressional black caucus urges probe of cia-contra drug charge. allegations raised in articles in san jose mercury news re crack cocaine being smuggled into the us. and sold to inner-city blacks to help support contras. washington post 9/13/96 a28 nicaragua, 83-84 attempts to link the sandinistas to the illegal drug traffic lacks proof. the nation 9/22/84 228-9 nicaragua, 83-85 colombian george morales, a drug merchant, donated a c-47 to pastora's arde. during 16 months plane made 11 supply drops inside nicaragua. duran a pilot smuggled drugs. garvin, g. (1992). everybody has his own gringo 109 nicaragua, 84-85 drug trafficker jorge morales claimed cia approached him in 1984 offering him legal protection if he agreed to fly weapons to contras while returning with drugs. weapons were loaded at opa-locka airport near miami or executive airport in fort lauderdale and flown to honduras, costa rica or el salvador. $4.5 million in drug profits went to contras. op went on for 18 months with full u.s. gov knowledge. eddy, p. (1988). the cocaine wars 327-332 nicaragua, 84-86 witness accuses adolfo chamorro, nicaragua counsel in miami and nephew of violetta chamorro, of helping smuggling more than a ton of cocaine into south florida. fabio ernesto carrasco, a colombian pilot said he flew planeloads from c.a. to florida. testified that chamorro aka popo was part of conspiracy. miami herald 10/12/90 6a nicaragua, 84 undercover dea agent barry seal met with fredrico vaugham, a man who described himself as a high nic. gov official, to arrange for drug transhipments at los brasiles airstrip in 1984. on 25 june seal flew a camera equipped c-123 (arranged by cia) from u.s. to managua where seal took photos of vaugham with pablo escobar. three days later, gen paul gorman accused sandinistas of drug trafficking. subsequent press releases compromised seal's true identity, effectively terminating dia op. (note: articles in the nation and wall street journal suggest sandinistas were framed. this author disagrees saying cia foiled dea operation implying a conflict of interest between cia & dia. he questions identity of vaugham.) eddy, p. (1988). the cocaine wars 296-299,375 nicaragua, 85-86 reagan adm acknowledges that some contras have engaged in some drug trafficking. washington post 8/27/86 a8 nicaragua, 86-87 see article "guns for drugs? senate probers trace an old contra connection to george bush's office." newsweek 5/23/88 22 nicaragua, 86 contra organizer in california, norwin meneses canterero is accused of drug trafficking. sf examiner 6/23/86 from intel parapolitics 9/86 p8 nicaragua, 94 oliver north sacrificed antidrug effort when it benefitted contras. in 88, dea officials testified how they believed north compromised drug investigation. when briefed north developed hypothetical plan using barry seal - that would swing congressional vote in favor of contras. leak, that appeared in washington times, destroyed op but linked sandinistas to drug but there was no such evidence of that link. north also tried to get leniency for "a serious international terrorist," honduran general jose bueso rosa - a contra supporter who pleaded guilty in plotting to smuggle cocaine to u.s. to finance the assassination of the democratically elected president of honduras. gen. released from jail. the nation 6/13/94 820,1 nicaragua, colombia, 83-96 during much of 1980s, the san jose mercury news has reported, a drug-dealing op sold tons of cocaine to street gangs in los angeles and funneled millions in drug profits to a latin american guerrilla contra army run by cia. an extensive three-part series, published aug. 18-20 by the mercury news, maps a cia drug network that "opened the first pipeline between colombia's cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of los angeles. reporter gary webb concluded: cocaine that flooded in helped spark a crack explosion in urban america -- and provided the cash and connections needed for l.a.'s gangs to buy automatic weapons. cia arranged an alliance between a u.s.-backed army attempting to overthrow a revolutionary socialist government" in nicaragua and drug-dealers wielding machine guns in ghetto areas of southern california. on capitol hill that summer, iran-contra hearings avoided cia and contra links to large-scale cocaine smuggling. yet, congressional panels had access to handwritten notes by reagan administration official oliver north, whose notebooks contained 543 pages with references to the drug trade. in one notation about contra arms supplies, north wrote: "$14 million came from drugs." even after such excerpts from north's notes were made public, most news media bypassed the contra-cia-cocaine connection. the detour around the story became more extreme in 1988: the senate's subcommittee on terrorism and narcotics, chaired by john kerry, released an in-depth report that nailed the cia for cocaine trafficking with the contras. but media coverage was muddled and fleeting. mediabeat igc.apc.org 8/23/96 nicaragua, colombia, 89 reagan administration repeatedly undercut law enforcement efforts against colombian drug cartels to support its contra aid policy according to report released by sen john kerry (d-ma) on 20 april 89. four companies owned and operated by drug traffickers received $800,401 from state dept to supply contras in 1986. companies were setoc/hondu carib, frigorificos de puntarenas, diacsa and vortex, directed respectively by juan ramon mata ballestros, ramon milian rodriguez, alfredo caballero and michael b. palmer. note: only 200 copies of report were issued by senate subcommittee on narcotics, terrorism and international operations. intelligence newsletter 4/26/89 3 nicaragua, costa rica. carr and glibbery had been in prison for more than 10 months - they had been abandoned by their sponsors in u.s. t. posey and john hull in costa rica. glibbery said andy messing, a high-profile contra supporter in d.c. and director of national defense council had met with hull in costa rica. carr said he had flown to costa rica on plane owned by florida aircraft leasing corporation and leased by american flyers, a secretive air cargo company in s. florida. terrell, j., and martz, r. (1992). disposable patriot 319 nicaragua, costa rica, honduras. charter airline "setco" owned by major honduran drug lord - juan matta ballesteros and used by fdn. setco or air contra became terrell's primary airline. terrell, j., and martz, r. (1992). disposable patriot 217 nicaragua, cuba, 87 the cia no longer agrees with the reagan adm line that the cuban and nicaraguan gvts are smuggling drugs into the u.s. jack anderson washington post 5/3/87 e19 nicaragua, mexico, 87-90 cia denies it used property of drug ring, denies charge it stored weapons destined for nicaragua contras on ranch owned by mexican drug traffickers). new york times * 7/21/90 6n nicaragua, panama 91 u.s. govt. witness floyd carlton caceres testified in manual noriega trial of oct 91 that he had flown weapons to nicaraguan contras in 1983-84 while he was flying cocaine into u.s. for medellin drug cartel. flights were organized by alfredo caballero, a miami-based businessman later indicted with carlton on drug charges. washington post 10/2/91 a4 nicaragua, panama, 87-88 bitterness between marshalls service and dea on one hand and cia on other. cia considered a defender of its agents who also drug smugglers. matta case proved cia's willingness to defend drug smugglers as long as they anti-communists. senator kerry's staff noted that matta's ownership of setco in mid 80s provides circumstantial proof cia willing tolerate drug corruption if it meant added chance for survival of contras. they had evidence of matta's ties to colonel arias, who in turn friendly with noriega. perry, m. (1992). eclipse: the last days of the cia 124 nnbis (national narcotics border interdiction system): coordinated u.s. interagency antidrug effort launched in 1983 under vice president george bush. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 261 pakistan, 85-87 in those years there has been a staggering increase in the production of opium and the export of heroin to the u.s. jack anderson washington post circa 3/13/87 pakistan, 91-94 pakistan's army chief proposed selling heroin to pay for covert military ops in early 91, per former pm nawaz sharif. gen aslam beg and gen asas durrani, then head of military's inter-services intel bureau (isi), told him armed forces needed more money for covert foreign ops and wanted to raise it thru large-scale drug deals. durrani, denied charges and is now pakistan's ambassador to germany. a cia consultant in 92, warned that drug corruption had permeated virtually all segments of pakistan society - including president and military intel services. about 30 tons heroin produced annually in pakistan, about a third is smuggled abroad - mostly to west, according to state dept's 1994 report on international drug trafficking. about 20% of heroin in u.s. comes from pakistan and afghanistan, second largest opium producer after burma. 80% of heroin in europe comes from region. isi powerful and pursues its own agenda. civilian leaders have accused the military of developing nuclear technology and arming insurgents in india and other countries without their knowledge and approval. the military has been pinched for funds since war in afghanistan ended in 89 and u.s. stopped funneling money and arms thru isi to afghanistan. it difficult for military to fund militants fighting indian troops in kashmir. now such funds from jamiat-i-islami, a leading fundamentalist political party. sharif claims pakistan has a nuclear bomb. washington post 9/12/94 a13 panama. cesar rodriguez: panamanian arms and drugs trafficker under omar torrijos and manuel noriega; killed in colombia in 1986. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 262 panama. omar torrijos: panamanian strongman in 1970s whose family allegedly included drug traffickers; killed in 1981 plane crash. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 263 panama. steven kalish: american marijuana trafficker close to noriega in panama. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 260 panama, 71-72 bndd john ingersoll forming plan to get noriega out of drug-traficking business. dinges, j. (1990). our man in panama 63 panama, 71-72 justice dept defeo report documents u.s. unsuccessful attempts to prosecute noriega in 71-72. dinges, j. (1990). our man in panama 89 panama, 71-78 noriega transformed from target-suspect to trusted collaborator possibly because he useful as an international covert operator for u.s. at one point u.s. officials were contemplating assassinating noriega. dinges, j. (1990). our man in panama 69 panama, 71-91 motion in noriega's trial describes cia efforts to arm nicaraguan contras - a guns-for-drugs policy. many heavy deletions re his two meetings with bush, dci casey, and oliver north. "noriega called upon defuse situations which threatened u.s. interests in central america and elsewhere." prosecutors acknowledged noriega paid 161,000 by cia dating from 1971 and another 162,168 from army. washington post 9/4/91 a1,4 panama, 75-91 cia had begun investigating noriega in mid 70s. newer investigation based on nsa commo intercepts led state dept to conclude noriega's intimidation and corruption had stolen election for barletta, when arnulfo arias actually won. noriega had 3 face-to-face talks with dci casey - first in 11/83 when casey enlisted his help against sandinistas. in 4/86 fbi discovered arms shipments to contras married with narcotics flights via bahamas to u.s. senator kerry assigned 2 investigators re noriega's trafficking - jack blum and richard mccall. perry, m. (1992). eclipse: the last days of the cia 106-7 panama, 80-89 analysts challenge view of noriega as drug lord. washington post 1/7/90 a25 panama, 82-91 amjad awan, noriega's personnel banker from 1982-88, testified in 1991 noriega trial that noriega transferred $19.3 million from london bcci account to luxembourg on 8 sep 88, three days after he was indicted by two federal grand juries. awan said top deposits were $3.4 million and $5.4 million in 1983. u.s. gov asserts funds came from drugs while noriega's defense say funds came from other sources, including cia. awan was unaware of the source of funds. washington post 12/10/91 a3 panama, 83-87 dci casey received from noriega assistance in facilitating arms shipments to contras. noriega arranged end user certificates for arms shipments to panama. noriega transformed panama into a base for drug smuggling. washington post 12/22/89 a2 panama, 84 cia and medellin drug cartel helped finance successful 84 campaign for former panamanian president nicholas ardito barletta campaign. barletta, former world bank v.p., was elected in 84 and deposed by noriega in 85. washington post 3/21/92 a5 panama, 85 hugo spadafora: panamanian enemy of noriega who murdered in 85 after talking to u.s. officials about drug trafficking in costa rica. scott, p. & marshall, j. (1991). cocaine politics 262 panama, 86-87 details of use of bcci by drug interests. noriega had a $25 million slush fund in bcci. steven kalish got 3 panamanian passports from cesar. kalish shipped cash from tampa to panama, $2 to 3 million at a time. money deposited in bcci, bank that handled cesar rodriguez's and noriega's accounts. dinges, j. (1990). our man in panama 171 panama, 86 north with approval sec state shultz and abrams met noriega aide in england to talk about aid to contras. at time there extensive reporting re noriega's drug trafficking. washington post 4/9/89 a18 panama, 87-92 manuel noriega's lawyers apparently have scuttled plans to use alleged cia involvement in iran-contra drugs for guns scheme as part of his defense. a key witness who claims cia drug links, trafficker fabio ernesto carrasco, won't be called to testify. usa today 1/22/92 1a, 3a panama, 89-90 noriega lived, spent lavishly in months before indictment." general's banker, amjad awan of bcci, to begin trial. he and others of bcci laundered $14 million in drug and crime profits. wt 1/12/90 a5. amjad awan, noriega's banker guilty in drug case. washington post 7/30/90 a8 panama, 89-91 gao report, war on drugs: narcotics control efforts in panama. u.s. general accounting office nsiad-91-233 10 pages panama, 90 drug arrest disrupted cia op in panama. (carlos eleta alamaran). new york times * 1/14/90 11,16 panama, 90 it rumored mike harari back in panama using alias carlos busramente. harari a senior israeli intel officer who served as noriega's right hand man. reasons for possibly returning to panama unknown. harari ran cia-mossad net that provided arms to contras and dealt in medellin cartel's cocaine. ifa 11/90 2. accounts of how harari left panama in 90 suggest that us helped his exit. ifa 4/90 5. israel took large amounts info re links between mike harari, israel and noriega's gvt six hours before invasion. ifa 2/90 3. see ifa 5/87, 3/88, 4/88, 5/88, 6/88, 7/88, 8/88, 7/89, 10/89, 11/89, 1/90 panama, 90 u.s. abandons drug prosecution of a panamanian aide to cia. (drug case against carlos eleta alamaran). new york times * 2/13/90 a6,18 panama, 91 noreiga prosecution ending on a sour note. no smoking guns offered; at least one allegation appears abandoned. washington post 12/16/91 a1,12 panama, 91 noriega's lawyers seek a delay in his trial due to the last minute release of dea documents showing he cooperated with dea in an op at disrupting the movement of money into panama by drug cartels. op named op negocios or op business. washington post 12/17/91 a3