Bogota was the capital of [[Colombia]] and a center of the [[cocaine]] trade that supplied the Contra-connected trafficking networks operating in the [[United States]]. [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]] studied at the University of Colombia in Bogota, where he was recruited into the drug trafficking world by [[Donald Barrios]] on behalf of [[Norwin Meneses|Meneses]].[^1] ### Blandón's Colombian Base Blandón earned his M.B.A. from the University of Colombia in Bogota while simultaneously running an import-export company, a travel agency, and a used car dealership. His legitimate business activities provided cover for his introduction to the cocaine trade. Meneses, through Barrios, proposed that Blandón sell cocaine in [[Los Angeles]] to raise money for the [[Contras]]. Bogota served as the financial and educational base from which Blandón's trafficking career was launched, connecting the Colombian cocaine economy to the Contra fundraising network in [[Central America]] and the United States.[^2] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 5. [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 5.