---
category: Private Organization
location: San Francisco, California
summary: The St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco was where Norwin Meneses held
  meetings and conducted business for his Contra-connected cocaine trafficking operation.
tags:
- location
- san-francisco
- contra-war
---

The St. Francis Yacht Club in [San Francisco](/places/san-francisco/) was where [Norwin Meneses](/people/norwin-meneses/) held meetings and conducted business for his Contra-connected [cocaine](/concepts/cocaine/) trafficking operation. The exclusive waterfront venue reflected Meneses's status as a wealthy and well-connected figure in the Nicaraguan exile community.[^1]

### Meneses's Operations

Meneses used the yacht club as a venue for meetings with associates in his drug trafficking network. The setting illustrated the contrast between Meneses's outward respectability as a Contra supporter and community leader and his actual role as one of the largest cocaine distributors on the [U.S.](/places/united-states/) West Coast. The club was one of several upscale San Francisco locations where Meneses conducted the business of moving drugs and money while maintaining the social profile of a legitimate businessman and political activist.[^2]

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