Arkansas, particularly the small town of Mena, served as the base of operations for CIA-[[DEA]] contract agent Barry Seal's massive [[cocaine]] and weapons smuggling operation during the early to mid-1980s. The Mena operation represented one of the clearest intersections between U.S. intelligence activities and drug trafficking in the domestic [[United States]].[^1] ### Barry Seal at Mena Seal moved in 1982 from [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]] to a tiny airfield at isolated Mena, Arkansas, Intermountain Regional Airport, and began running drugs and weapons. He became one of the biggest cocaine and marijuana importers in the southern United States, flying loads in directly for the [[Medellin Cartel|Medellín Cartel]] and air-dropping them with pinpoint precision across [[Louisiana]], Arkansas, and other southern states. Seal detailed his cocaine-smuggling activities involving approximately 50 trips during 1981, 1982, and 1983.[^2] ### Protection from Prosecution A Senate subcommittee later concluded that despite the availability of evidence sufficient for an indictment on money laundering charges, and over the strong protests of state and federal law enforcement officials, the cases against Seal were dropped. The apparent reason was that prosecution might have revealed national security information. Arkansas state trooper Larry Patterson testified that troopers were aware that large quantities of drugs were being flown into the Mena airport and that it was a [[Central Intelligence Agency]] operation. Bill Clinton's close friend Danny Lasater was convicted as part of a major drug ring in Little Rock.[^3] ### Iran-Contra Connection After Seal's CIA-DEA missions ended, he parked his C-123K cargo plane at the tiny Mena airport. He sold it back to the same company he had obtained it from, and in early 1986 it wound up with CIA contractor Southern Air Transport, where it was used for Contra supply runs based at Ilopango Air Base in [[San Salvador]] until its last, fatal flight, the shootdown that broke open the [[Iran-Contra Affair|Iran-Contra scandal]]. Seal's farm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to a 1983 [[U.S. Customs]] report, was allegedly used as a drop site for cocaine and marijuana flown into the country aboard a DC-4 aircraft, the same plane that subsequently turned up flying supplies for the [[Contras]] through a company operated by FDN leader Adolfo Calero's brother.[^4] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Cast of Characters. [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 7. [^3]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 7. [^4]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 7, Ch. 15.