DIACSA

DIACSA was a Miami aircraft company run by Cuban Bay of Pigs veteran Alfredo Caballero that served as a cover company for the Costa Rican Contras and a hub for plotting drug flights and laundering cocaine profits. A 1985 Central Intelligence Agency cable described DIACSA as the "cover company" used by the Costa Rican Contras to secretly buy aircraft.¹

Drug Smuggling Operations

Floyd Carlton, a Panamanian pilot working with Noriega, had used DIACSA for years as the U.S. headquarters for his Panamanian drug-smuggling venture. Carlton admitted that he and his partners plotted their drug flights and arranged the laundering of their cocaine profits in DIACSA's offices. The company's dual function as both a legitimate aviation business and a narcotics smuggling hub exemplified the overlap between Contra logistics and drug trafficking in Florida.²

CIA Connections

DIACSA's operator, Alfredo Caballero, was a Cuban drug dealer who had been part of the CIA's Bay of Pigs operation. His background was typical of the Cuban exile operatives the CIA recruited for Contra work, combining anti-Communist credentials with experience in drug trafficking and covert operations. DIACSA's role as a CIA-designated cover company demonstrated how the Agency's covert procurement infrastructure was integrated with the drug trade.³