Guatemala City, the capital of [[Guatemala]], was the birthplace of the [[FDN]] [[Contras|Contra]] army and served as a regional base for [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and [[DEA]] operations investigating Contra-connected drug trafficking. The city's role in the Contra war spanned from the initial formation of the rebel army to the assassination of key figures connected to the drug trade.[^1] ### Birthplace of the FDN [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermúdez]] was persuaded to move his Legion of September 15 from Guatemala to Tegucigalpa as part of a CIA-arranged merger. The merger happened in August 1981 in the upstairs rec room of the legion's rented safe house in Guatemala City. The Legion, described as a violent band of ex-Guardia men based in Guatemala, became the core of the FDN. Crime, including drug trafficking, ensured the survival of Bermúdez's legion during its time in Guatemala. The operation was orchestrated by Argentine military advisors working with the CIA.[^2] ### Assassinations and Intelligence On September 16, 1978, Ambassador [[Edmundo Meneses]], father of [[Norwin Meneses|Meneses]], was machine-gunned in Espana Park in Guatemala City, catching three bullets in his back. Guerrillas described him as overseeing anti-Communist operations across [[Central America]], exploiting his ambassadorial position in Guatemala as a smokescreen while coordinating between the Guatemalan army and the Nicaraguan National Guard.[^3] ### DEA Base of Operations DEA agent [[Celerino Castillo|Celerino Castillo III]] lived and worked in Guatemala City, using it as his base for investigating Contra-connected drug operations at Ilopango Air Base in neighboring [[El Salvador]]. He recruited informants from Guatemala, including a Cuban named Socrates Sofi-Perez, a [[Bay of Pigs|Bay of Pigs]] veteran who described the Contra drug scheme to him in detail.[^4] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 6. [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 6. [^3]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 3. [^4]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 15.