Ronald Jay Lister was a former southern California police officer who became [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]]'s partner in cocaine trafficking and weapons dealing during the 1980s, operating through his company [[Pyramid International Security Consultants]].[^1] Lister worked alongside Blandón for seven years and introduced a weapons and sophisticated electronics dimension to Blandón's drug ring that bore the hallmarks of [[Central Intelligence Agency|U.S. intelligence community]] involvement. The CIA has publicly denied any relationship with him. ### Law Enforcement Career Before his criminal career, Lister spent nearly fifteen years as a police officer. He started as a military policeman for the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve, stationed in Orange County with the 414th Military Police company. His service records show he held a degree in political science and was trained in processing prisoners of war captured during the Vietnam conflict. He regularly received excellent fitness reports. While an army reservist, Lister hired on as an officer with the police department of Maywood, a small suburb of [[Los Angeles]] that employed only a handful of uniformed patrolmen. He was also a reserve deputy for the [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office|L.A. County Sheriff's Office]] at the same time.[^1] Lister was called to active duty in the army for a few months in 1969, and later, when his enlistment ended, he volunteered for the U.S. Coast Guard, serving as a reserve port security officer at Terminal Island in San Pedro, California. In late 1973 he found a home with the [[Laguna Beach Police Department]], which patrols a posh Orange County suburb south of Los Angeles. There he rose through the ranks to become a detective in the burglary division.[^1] Lieutenant Danielle Adams, who served with Lister, recalled him as "always very successful, very tenacious and got the job done." His former chief, [[Neil Purcell]], who was on the hiring board that gave Lister his job, offered a starkly different assessment: "The man, in my opinion, is a lying, conniving, manipulative person who likes to play with people's minds. He's very evasive and loves living on the edge. He's the biggest bullshitter that has ever been placed on this earth." Both agreed on one point: "Don't ever underestimate him. He's very, very bright and very tenacious," Adams warned.[^1] ### Private Security and Foreign Connections Toward the end of his twelve-year stint with the Laguna Beach Police Department, Lister began traveling in wealthy circles. Chief Purcell recalled that Lister was associating with Iranian royalty: "That silly son of a gun was in with — what do they call themselves? — the Royal Highnesses from Iran! Sporting Rolex watches for himself and his wife. Getting wined and dined by these people until finally they were asked to leave this country." Both Adams and Purcell said Lister became involved in private security work on the side toward the end of 1979. He quit the Laguna Beach police department in May 1980 to pursue that vocation full-time. Adams recalled: "He was in the alarm business, is what he originally started off as. And he had some muckety-mucks from the Arab countries, so he says, in his alarm business and this was getting pretty elaborate, and that's when he left the police department. I know there was a lot of involvement and a lot of travel while he was still here."[^1] A few weeks before he resigned, Lister incorporated Pyramid International Security Consultants Inc., based in [[Newport Beach, California|Newport Beach]].[^1] ### Partnership with Blandón and Meneses Lister stated that he first met Blandón around 1980 or 1981 "through a Beverly Hills business connection." Blandón introduced him to [[Norwin Meneses]], and Lister "provided physical security for both men," who "always paid him in cash." Lister began working as a cocaine dealer and money hauler for Blandón in late 1981 or early 1982, just as the CIA was taking over the funding and operations of the newly formed [[FDN]].[^1] Blandón told Justice Department interviewers that he and Meneses "entered into an informal partnership [with Lister] for the purpose of selling weapons abroad," specifically in [[El Salvador]]. The plan was for Lister, Blandón, and Meneses "to get their share of the profits in weapons, which they would then give to the [[Contras]]." Lister told Justice Department investigators that Blandón and Meneses "were the ones that opened the doors down there... [they] had many connections in El Salvador... from their drug trafficking business." Lister sold Blandón numerous machine pistols, which Blandón told him he was sending to the Contras. "Anything that I gave him was for the purpose of the Contras," Lister insisted.[^1] Blandón stated that Lister and a partner named Bill Downing "went to the meeting that we have in the Contra revolution, the meeting that we have every week and they, they offer us, they show us, you know, they show us a demonstration for the weapons, okay? They show the machine guns and the weapons. They have the, the license to sell them." Meneses clarified that they "did make arrangements to sell arms to the Contras, but the FDN couldn't collect sufficient funds in order to finalize the deal." Meneses, Blandón, and Lister then "traveled to [[Honduras]], [[Guatemala]], and El Salvador to make arrangements with local governments" for the donation of arms. Meneses added cryptically: "I know Danilo says that the weapons he got came through Ronnie Lister, but that isn't true. If I told you where we got them, governments would fall."[^1] ### Weapons Manufacturing in El Salvador Through Pyramid International Security Consultants, Lister conducted extensive business in El Salvador during the early 1980s civil war. Arms manufacturer [[Tim LaFrance|Timothy LaFrance]] described Pyramid as "a private vendor that the CIA used to do things [the agency] couldn't do." LaFrance accompanied Lister to El Salvador at least twice, helping to set up facilities to manufacture pistols for the Contras. When LaFrance applied in Pyramid's name for a State Department permit to take high-powered weapons out of the [[United States]], "It came back approved in two days. Usually it takes three months. We went down to [[Central America]] with two giant boxes full of machine guns and ammunition."[^1] According to LaFrance, the Pyramid team moved into a mass-transit center run by the military in downtown [[San Salvador]]. "That's where we made the weapons. You could have 50 guys working in a machine shop and nobody would know it." After the finished guns were transported to a Salvadoran military airstrip in Morazon province, they were airlifted to Contra camps in Honduras. "We made almost all of our drops by helicopter, buzzing the treetops," LaFrance said. Pyramid was eventually expelled from El Salvador at the urging of the [[U.S. Army]], which took over the weapons plant.[^1] In October 1982, Pyramid made a security proposal to Salvadoran defense minister General [[Jose Guillermo Garcia|José Guillermo García]], a man linked by human rights organizations to death squad activities and the slaughter of hundreds of peasants at a village called El Mozote in December 1981. The proposal, found by Los Angeles police in a 1986 drug raid, outlined services including bodyguard and armed escort services for Salvadoran public officials, protecting sensitive installations from sabotage and terrorism, and installing sophisticated electronic technology at key military and industrial installations - all for $189,911.[^1] ### Intelligence Community Connections Lister's former office manager [[Chris Moore]] recalled that Lister claimed to have a "big CIA contact" at [[Fluor Corporation]], an international construction management company based in Orange County. "Ron said the guy was the former Deputy Director of Operations or something, real high up there," Moore said. Blandón "recalled hearing Lister say that he was involved with the CIA and that he knew someone high up in the CIA who was getting him some licenses so he could sell weapons to Iran." Blandón said he "never believed Lister because he lied too much."[^1] Former CIA officer [[John Vandewerker]], who once employed [[Richard Wilker]] as a salesman, said he knew Lister and Wilker were involved in some business activity in El Salvador. "It was kind of touchy... as far as getting out of the country and all that kind of stuff." Vandewerker's name was also found in the notebooks of investigative reporter [[Danny Casolaro]] after his death, in connection with the goings-on at the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation|Cabazon Indian tribe]] reservation. LaFrance told journalist Nick Schou that the [[DIA|Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)]] was also involved in Lister's weapons manufacturing plant in El Salvador, and that the meetings Lister and his associates had with death squad commander [[Roberto D'Aubuisson]] "happened because the DIA wanted them to happen." Records found in Lister's house in the 1986 raid disclosed connections between Lister and "a DIA subcontractor."[^1] ### FBI Investigations Between 1983 and 1986, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] opened five separate investigations of Lister, all dealing with allegations of trafficking in illegal weapons and high-tech devices with foreign governments. In September 1983, Pyramid International Security Consultants came under FBI scrutiny for Neutrality Act violations, which allegedly involved "the sale of weapons to El Salvador and the loan of money from [[Saudi Arabia]] to the Salvadoran government. Lister was also alleged to be attempting to sell arms to several other countries." Despite the Saudi government's heavy involvement in financing covert operations for the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] Administration during the 1980s, "no further information was ever developed" by the FBI. The [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] offered no explanation for why that probe was abandoned.[^1] ### CIA Denials When defense attorneys tried in 1996 to quiz Blandón about Lister's alleged relationship with the CIA, a federal prosecutor immediately objected, and the jury was ordered out of the courtroom. During a whispered conversation with the judge, the prosecutor said that while it was true that "Lister made a claim... that he was an employee of the CIA," the government believed it was false, made only to "impress [his] illegal business partners," and was an attempt "to deter prosecution." Nevertheless the prosecutor asked the judge to halt that line of inquiry because it was "muddying the waters." The judge decided that since Blandón had denied that Lister worked for the government, there was no need for any more questions. An internal CIA investigation in 1997 declared that Lister had no relationship with the agency.[^1] Lister dismissed any suggestion that he was "knowingly" working for the CIA. In an interview with police in 1996, he claimed "that if he were affiliated with an organization like the CIA, he wouldn't talk about it." The detectives noted that "Lister did display some knowledge of the U.S. intelligence community during our interview." Blandón's attorney [[Brad Brunon]] described Lister as "one of these guys who would boast about having bugging capabilities, would boast about having wiretap capabilities, you could get any information any time, one of those... I-can-uplink-to-the-satellite sort of guy." Brunon said of Lister: "I never knew what his true role was. I mean, he covertly insinuated that he was CIA. At least, if not a sworn member, whatever the hell they do to get to become employees — some sort of operative." Brunon "really didn't have much communication with the guy because he scared me."[^1] ### Mundy Security Group In mid-1983, Lister incorporated [[Mundy Security Group]] Inc. in Laguna Beach. Named as directors and officers were Lister, attorney Maurice Green, attorney Gary Shapiro, and reserve police officer Christopher W. Moore. A business card found in a 1986 drug raid identified Danilo Blandón as a vice president. The company was licensed with the U.S. State Department in 1983 to export U.S. Munitions List items to other countries, receiving three temporary export licenses (DSP-73s) for laser components and spare parts. Aside from burglar alarm installations, the company's main business activity was marketing a laser sighting device for AR-15 assault rifles designed by Lister's partner [[William Downing]].[^2] Moore described director Maurice Green as a self-proclaimed legal genius with a severe drug and alcohol problem who had a hollow wall built behind his desk for emergency escape. Green was prosecuted and disbarred in 1987 for forging prescriptions and sentenced to two years in prison in 1992 for grand theft and practicing law without a license. Director Gary Shapiro described an incident where angry doctors besieged the office over Green's financial mismanagement.[^2] ### Connection to William Nelson Lister's most significant intelligence connection was [[William Nelson|Bill Nelson]], the CIA's former deputy director of operations from 1973 to 1976, who later became vice president for security at Fluor Corporation. During 1982 and 1983, Lister met with Nelson at Fluor's headquarters—described by Chris Moore as "Ron's big CIA contact." Former CIA officer John Vandewerker confirmed that Nelson and Lister knew each other. Nelson's name appeared at the top of a handwritten list of seven names that Lister prepared for his 1985 grand jury appearance, alongside Roberto D'Aubuisson and Ray Prendes.[^2] ### FBI KGB Investigation and Grand Jury On April 3, 1985, two FBI agents, Richard Smith and David Cook, delivered a grand jury subpoena to Lister's home in Mission Viejo. They questioned him about contacts with Soviet bloc countries. Lister confirmed to police in 1996 that he had been the subject of a "grand jury investigation on my relationship with Soviet agents." He said he had sold an FBI "scrambler system" to someone overseas, and the FBI investigated only to find the equipment was declassified and available commercially.[^2] FBI agent Smith recalled that Lister was attempting to sell classified electronic equipment to Soviet KGB agents. The FBI conducted a sting operation with agents posing as KGB agents. Smith said Lister's activities were "completely illegal and clearly in violation of United States national security." Chief Purcell recalled the FBI was "absolutely convinced he was selling this stuff to the Russians" and showed him photographs of Lister meeting with Russians in San Francisco, New York, and the Embassy in Washington. But Purcell told the FBI: "Pardon me for laughing, but he's taking you guys for a ride." The FBI discovered Lister was overcharging the Russians four to five times retail for camera equipment. Smith claimed Lister was never prosecuted because he was "full of hot air" and lacked "present capability" to produce the equipment, though the case went to a grand jury.[^2] ### Seized Documents and National Security Classification When L.A. detectives tried to obtain FBI files on the Lister investigation in 1996, FBI Special Agent Tim Bezick stated that "the FBI reports and the transcripts of Lister's grand jury testimony were protected by the National Security Act." Joel Levin, chief of the Criminal Division of the San Francisco U.S. Attorney's office, confirmed a court order would be required. The personnel files from Lister's old employers were also inaccessible: Maywood Police Department files were "sealed by the City of Maywood," and Laguna Beach Police Department files had been purged entirely.[^2] Documents seized during a 1986 narcotics raid on Lister's house included a ten-page handwritten document chronicling weapons and equipment deals, including meetings with a customer named "Ivan" at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose and a visit to the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C. Lister's monthly calendars for 1985 contained "frequent references to the Contras," including notations reading "SF Contras," "LA Contras," "D-Contra" and at least one reference to the DIA. Agents seized weapons code sheets and a handwritten note bearing the names of several CIA operatives working with [[Eden Pastora]]'s [[ARDE]] group.[^2] A flow chart found in Lister's notes contained boxes labeled "Swiss Bank," "U.S. State Department," "H.K.," "X Country," and "Factory USA." U.S. Customs Service analysis concluded it diagrammed a scheme to illegally divert American-made weapons using fraudulent end-user certificates—precisely the method [[Oliver North]] used to arm the Contras after the congressional funding cutoff. "The documents seized from Lister in 1986 largely corroborate his account of his relationship with Blandón and the Contras," the Justice Department concluded in 1997.[^2] ### Drug Trafficking Expertise Lister when he first met Blandón "knew nothing about narcotics and could not tell you coke from flour. I had never seen the shit." But after Lister returned from his Central American travels, his former San Diego attorney said, he appeared to be an expert in the cocaine business: "When he came back, he seemed to know a lot about what was going on in [[Colombia]] with drug trafficking. I thought it was interesting because in the mid-1980s, no one knew very much about these cartels. But he knew quite a bit. And he knew names and dates, places, et cetera." The attorney recalled Lister predicting the rise of the [[Cali Drug Cartel]] while the media was focused only on the [[Medellin Cartel|Medellín cartel]]: "Ron said the Cali cartel is where all the power is concentrated, that's where the power structure is, and no one is even bothering them." The attorney surmised that Lister could have gained "this information from the CIA, or through his work with them."[^1] Lister told CIA inspectors that he had been to Colombia with Blandón and observed Blandón negotiating drug deals with the Colombians.[^1] ### Cocaine Distribution Operations As 1982 drew to a close, Blandón's cocaine trafficking business in Los Angeles expanded dramatically. Lister described the logistics to police: "I'd go over to D's [Blandón's] house, take my Mercedes over there, put three U-Haul boxes which will cover about 100 keys, about 33 per box plus one you'd squeeze in, in the trunk, go over to south L.A. It was the slickest deal you've ever seen."[^1] ### October 1986 Raids On October 27, 1986, the [[LASD Major Violators]] raided Lister's former Mission Viejo house—where [[Aparicio Moreno]] was now living—and his new residence. At the new house, Deputy Bobby Juarez explained they were executing a drug warrant. Lister responded: "I know why you're here, but why are you here? Mr. Weekly knows what I'm doing and you're not supposed to be here." Lister told deputies he "had dealings in South America and worked with the CIA and added that his friends in Washington weren't going to like what was going on." Deputy Richard Love said Lister warned: "You don't know what you are doing. There's a bigger picture here. I'm working for the CIA. The government is allowing drug sales to go on in the United States." Lister also had "intimate details about a plane loaded with guns that crashed in Nicaragua" and "alluded to the fact that he had been on one of those planes before." No drugs were found. Seized evidence was logged as "miscellaneous CIA info" and included "a lot of Contra rebel correspondence."[^3] Deputies found papers showing Lister had "regular meeting with DIA subcontractor Scott Weekly," handwritten weapons lists including antiaircraft weapons, 1,000 AR-15 rifles, and napalm bombs, and a list of names including William Nelson, Roberto D'Aubuisson, and Scott Weekly. Federal agents copied over 1,000 pages of seized documents, then nearly all copies disappeared. The CIA's Los Angeles office sent an "Immediate Director" cable asking for traces on Lister, Blandón, and Meneses. Lister denied the CIA claims, but Sergeant Art Fransen said Lister erupted in a "tirade": "You guys don't know what you are doing. I deal with the CIA. I got power!"[^3] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty" [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 10: "Teach a man a craft and he's liable to practice it" [^3]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 18: "We bust our ass and the government's involved"