---
category: Private Organization
location: Nicosia, Cyprus
summary: Euramae Trading Company was a company operating throughout the Middle East,
  described by Michael Riconosciuto as a companion company to First Intercontinental
  Development Corporation and an National Security Council cutout.
tags:
- Organization
- Company
- FrontCompany
- NSC
- PROMIS
- MiddleEast
---

[Euramae Trading Company](/organizations/euramae-trading-company/) was a company operating throughout the Middle East, described by [Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/) as a companion company to [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/) and an [NSC](/organizations/national-security-council/) cutout. It was also identified as a [DEA](/organizations/dea/)/[CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) "front" by [Lester Coleman](/people/lester-coleman/), newly established by the Cypriot Police Narcotics Squad in Nicosia, [Cyprus](/places/cyprus/).[^1]

Euramae's operations were deeply intertwined with drug trafficking and intelligence activities. It served as a transit point for heroin from the Bekaa Valley in [Lebanon](/places/lebanon/), cash, documents, and bootleg computer software moving along the Beirut-Nicosia-U.S. pipeline. It was also intended as a meeting place for [DEA](/organizations/dea/) and [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) agents with informants and clients, a message drop for [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) arms dealers supplying [Iraq](/places/iraq/) and the [Mujahideen](/organizations/mujahideen/) in [Afghanistan](/places/afghanistan/), and a waiting room for [DEA](/organizations/dea/) confidential informants and couriers from [Lebanon](/places/lebanon/).[^1]

[Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/) claimed that Euramae was involved in the drug trade as a fully sanctioned [NSC](/organizations/national-security-council/)-directed operation. He handled communications protocol and financial transactions for these operations. [Michael T. Hurley](/people/michael-t-hurley/), the [DEA](/organizations/dea/) Country Attache in Nicosia, [Cyprus](/places/cyprus/), had overall responsibility for Euramae Trading Company and its initiative to sell [PROMIS](/programs/promis/) software to Middle Eastern countries for drug abuse control.[^1]

[Lester Coleman](/people/lester-coleman/) worked in the office of Euramae Trading Company, Ltd. in Nicosia, [Cyprus](/places/cyprus/), between April and May 1988. He later expressed concern about poor security in the [DEA](/organizations/dea/) operation in [Cyprus](/places/cyprus/). Coleman also claimed that the [DEA](/organizations/dea/), along with Cypriot, German, and British police, ran a "drug sting operation" code-named "Khourah" through [Cyprus](/places/cyprus/) and airports in Europe, which involved delivering heroin from the Bekaa Valley to the [United States](/places/united-states/). This operation allegedly used Pan Am Flight 103 as a "controlled delivery" flight, which later tragically exploded over Scotland.[^1]

---

[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.