Los Angeles is the largest city in [[California]] and was the epicenter of the [[Crack Cocaine|crack]] cocaine explosion in [[South Central Los Angeles|South Central L.A.]] during the 1980s, fueled by [[cocaine]] supplied by [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]]'s Contra-connected trafficking network.[^1] ### Nicaraguan Exile Community After the [[Sandinistas|Sandinista]] revolution in 1979, thousands of [[Nicaragua|Nicaraguan]] exiles settled in Los Angeles, particularly in the Northridge and East Los Angeles areas. Many were former supporters of the [[Anastasio Somoza|Somoza]] regime who became involved in Contra fundraising. Blandón claimed he formed the first [[FDN]] chapter in Los Angeles in 1981. Attorney [[Brad Brunon]] observed that former Somoza supporters "highly politicized individuals" were dealing cocaine in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, with "the only politics I was aware that they were involved with was this attempt to fund the Contra revolutionary insurgency."[^2] ### Blandón's Drug Empire Blandón established his cocaine distribution ring in Los Angeles beginning in 1981, operating as [[Norwin Meneses]]'s representative. From Los Angeles, Blandón built the pipeline that connected Colombian cocaine sources to the street gangs of South Central, particularly through his relationship with [[Ricky Ross|"Freeway" Ricky Ross]]. Blandón moved from Northridge to [[San Bernardino|RIalto]] during the peak of his operations, then relocated to [[Miami]] in 1987.[^3] ### Law Enforcement Response The [[LAPD]] and [[LASD Major Violators|L.A. County Sheriff's Majors unit]] both investigated the Nicaraguan cocaine ring. [[Thomas Gordon|Sergeant Thomas Gordon]] led the 1986 raid on Blandón's operation that uncovered connections to the FDN. The Freeway Rick Task Force was formed in January 1987 as a joint LAPD-Sheriff's operation targeting Ricky Ross.[[^4] ### Crack Market Origins Ricky Ross's network, supplied entirely by Blandón, became the first major crack distribution system in Los Angeles. Ross's operation spread from South Central to cities nationwide, with [[Crips]] gang members carrying the crack formula and Blandón's cocaine connections to every major urban market in the country.[^5] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Prologue: "It was like they didn't want to know" [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty" [^3]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 10: "Teach a man a craft and he's liable to practice it" [^4]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 20: "It is a sensitive matter" [^5]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 10: "Teach a man a craft and he's liable to practice it"