The San Francisco Chronicle was a Bay Area newspaper that reported on aspects of the Contra-connected drug trafficking operations centered in [[San Francisco]]. The Chronicle covered elements of the story that included [[Rafael Cornejo]]'s cocaine trafficking network and its connection to the broader Contra drug pipeline.[^1] ### Coverage of Contra-Connected Crime The Chronicle reported on the sprawling drug trafficking operations in the Bay Area, including the remarkable details of Cornejo's conspiracy to escape from federal custody using C-4 plastic explosives and a helicopter. The newspaper also documented the group's consideration of killing a guard and lowering conspirators to a Panamanian cargo ship at sea. The Chronicle's reporting provided local context for the [[Dark Alliance]] revelations, demonstrating that the Contra-connected drug trafficking in San Francisco was an open secret in Bay Area law enforcement and media circles long before Gary Webb's investigation.[^2] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 8. [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 8.