---
category: Paramilitary
location: Costa Rica
summary: FARN (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias Nicaragüenses) was the UDN-FARN Contra
  faction that operated on Costa Rica's Southern Front and was deeply involved in
  cocaine trafficking.
tags:
- organization
- nicaraguan
- contra-war
---

FARN (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias Nicaragüenses) was the military wing of the [UDN-FARN](/organizations/udn-farn/) Contra faction that operated on [Costa Rica](/places/costa-rica/)'s Southern Front and was deeply involved in [cocaine](/concepts/cocaine/) trafficking. The organization was led by [Fernando "El Negro" Chamorro](/people/fernando-chamorro/), with [Edmundo Chamorro](/people/edmundo-chamorro/) as deputy commander.[^1]

### Drug Trafficking on the Southern Front

The [State Department](/organizations/state-department/) assured Congress that [DEA](/organizations/dea/) had examined allegations of linkages between members of the [UNO](/organizations/uno/)/FARN and suspected traffickers and found no information indicating involvement in narcotics trafficking. This assurance came despite extensive evidence to the contrary, including Costa Rican wiretaps capturing FARN commanders discussing cocaine shipments. The [Frogman Case](/events/frogman-case/) that exposed a major cocaine trafficking ring in [San Francisco](/places/san-francisco/) involved FARN-connected operatives, including [Troilo Sánchez](/people/troilo-sanchez/) and [Horacio Pereira](/people/horacio-pereira/), who coordinated drug flights to finance Contra operations.[^2]

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 6.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 6, Ch. 17.