Joseph "Joe" Kelso was a former CIA and [[U.S. Customs|U.S. Customs Service]] informant who in 1986 uncovered evidence that [[DEA]] agents in [[Costa Rica]] were involved in drug trafficking and protecting cocaine labs. His investigation was destroyed by the [[Oliver North|North]] network, he was beaten and deported, and his evidence tapes were thrown away by [[Robert Owen|Rob Owen]].[^1] ### CIA Background Kelso, a would-be spy and former fireman from Golden Valley, Minnesota, had been working as a [[Central Intelligence Agency]] informant since the early 1980s after befriending arms dealer Heinrich Rupp in Denver. At the CIA's suggestion, Kelso worked for Rupp posing as a weapons broker seeking arms for Saddam Hussein, but was arrested by the U.S. Customs Service for attempting to buy Harpoon missiles for the Iraqi government. Despite the severity of the crime, the CIA advised Kelso to plead guilty and promised his legal problems would disappear. He was put on probation, given a new identity and passport under the name Richard Williams, and went back to work for Customs as an informant.[^1] ### Costa Rica Investigation In mid-1986, Kelso traveled to Costa Rica to hunt a fugitive methamphetamine dealer and also carried a standing CIA directive to gather intelligence on financier Robert Vesco, who was flitting through Costa Rica and [[Nicaragua]] during the Contra war. Kelso found Vesco's private jet parked in a hangar in San Jose, with storage bills paid by [[Frigorificos de Puntarenas]] - the cocaine-dealing CIA front helping Oliver North funnel money to the [[Contras]].[^1] While in Costa Rica, Kelso began hearing rumors that DEA agents at the U.S. Embassy were trafficking in drugs and funny money. He gathered evidence from six witnesses, current and former Costa Rican and American government officials, willing to testify that DEA agents were skimming cocaine from drug seizures, making counterfeit money, sanitizing intelligence reports to Washington, and protecting cocaine processing labs in northern Costa Rica, including at least two on Contra bases. Costa Rican narcotics official Warren Treece reported the existence of cocaine labs to DEA agent [[Sandalio Gonzalez]], but "they were not investigated on account of the leak of information from this agent," Costa Rican prosecutor Jorge Chavarria wrote. Costa Rican attorney Gloria Navas concluded: "In my opinion, both Nieves and Sandy Gonzalez were connected with the CIA. There is no doubt."[^1] ### The Confrontation When a junior Customs agent mistakenly reported Kelso's findings directly to the DEA agents he was investigating, the DEA had Kelso and fellow informant Brian Caldwell arrested at the Irazu Hotel. DEA agent [[Robert Nieves]] screamed at Kelso: "You're a dead son-of-a-bitch. . .We're going to blow your fucking head off!" Costa Rican police officials confirmed Kelso's account. Kelso fled to [[John Hull]]'s ranch, where he told Hull and Robert Owen about the DEA agents' involvement in narcotics. Hull wrote a report for North noting that DEA agents had "maps of coke lab locations in Costa Rica but is protecting them." The next morning, Costa Rican Rural Guards awakened Kelso with automatic rifle fire, beat him with rifle butts, and told Hull's men the embassy said Kelso "should be shot if he resisted arrest." Hull's Contras surrounded the guards with 12-gauge riot guns, and Hull broke up the standoff. Kelso was deported.[^1] ### The Tapes Back in Denver, Kelso gave tapes of his witness interviews to his lawyer, Rod Snow. U.S. Attorney Bruce Black confirmed that "some of what he said has totally checked out." Customs enforcement chief William Rosenblatt called Oliver North after hearing the tapes, testifying that his "main purpose was to find out whether Kelso/Williams was working with the intelligence community. . .because of the potential for embarrassment." North sent Robert Owen to collect the tapes. Owen listened to them, confirmed they contained accusations of DEA corruption, then threw them away when the [[Iran-Contra Affair]] broke. "They were thrown out, along with a bunch of other stuff, when I moved," Owen testified. The tapes were never seen again.[^1] Kelso was sent to prison for two years for violating his probation by being in Costa Rica - despite Customs sending him worldwide for four years. Iran-Contra attorney Pam Naughton said the DEA never investigated the trafficking allegations. DEA director Jack Lawn told Congress he had never heard of the case.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 17: "We're going to blow your fucking head off"