John Hull was an American [[Central Intelligence Agency]] operative who lived on a ranch in northern [[Costa Rica]] during the [[Contras|Contra]] war, posing as a midwestern farmer managing plantations for wealthy investors. In reality, Hull's ranch served as a training area and hiding place for Contra soldiers; it was where the [[Legion of September 15]] gathered before its bungled raid on the Argentine radio station in 1980.[^1] Hull was the CIA's unofficial liaison to the Contras in northern Costa Rica and a close associate of [[Marcos Aguado]], a CIA-trained pilot and business associate of [[Norwin Meneses]]. Colombian trafficker [[George Morales]] and his pilots flew planeloads of weapons to Hull's ranch, where after dropping off arms, large green duffel bags full of cocaine belonging to the Contras were loaded aboard for return flights to the United States, usually to [[Opa Locka]], Florida.[^1] ### Drug Flight Evidence Former CIA official [[Alan Fiers|Alan Fiers Jr.]], who oversaw the Contra program from Washington, was convinced that Hull's ranch was being used for Contra drug flights. "There is no doubt in Fiers's mind that Pastora's men trans-shipped drugs out of the airstrip on Hull's ranch," investigators for Iran-Contra prosecutor Lawrence Walsh reported in 1991. "Fiers realized this around 1986 when he heard all the evidence from Senator [[John Kerry|John Kerry's]] hearings and from the newspapers." Hull, when told of Fiers's statement, responded: "Hell, here I thought that all this time the people spreading rumors like that were the Sandinistas and the Communists. Now I find out it's my own government."[^1] Pilot [[Fabio Ernesto Carrasco|"Tito" Carrasco]], who flew drug missions for Morales in and out of Hull's ranch, testified that one of [[Eden Pastora|Pastora's]] commanders assured him the CIA was protecting the flights from Costa Rica all the way into Florida.[^1] ### The Kelso Visit In August 1986, [[Joseph Kelso]], a CIA and [[U.S. Customs]] informant fleeing [[DEA]] agents in Costa Rica, arrived at Hull's ranch seeking refuge. Kelso told Hull and [[Robert Owen|Rob Owen]] that DEA agents had maps of cocaine lab locations but were protecting them, including "one large lab located in southern Nicoya. And another in Talamanca region." Hull wrote a detailed report and gave it to Owen to deliver to [[Oliver North]], noting: "If the DEA people are in the drug business it should be stopped." Hull eventually concluded Kelso was telling the truth: "He was giving me locations of cocaine labs in Costa Rica and who they belonged to and then a week later one of them was busted and it was right where he said it was."[^2] The next morning, Costa Rican Rural Guards awakened Kelso with automatic rifle fire and beat him with rifle butts. A colonel told Hull the embassy said Kelso "should be shot if he resisted arrest." Hull's Contras surrounded the guards with 12-gauge riot guns. Hull broke up the standoff but permitted the guards to take Kelso away.[^2] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 11: "They were looking in the other direction" [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 17: "We're going to blow your fucking head off"