Donald Barrios
Wealthy Nicaraguan exile, FDN supporter, and relative of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro who introduced Norwin Meneses to Danilo Blandon and co-founded La Parrilla restaurant in Miami as a Contra gathering place.
Donald Barrios was a wealthy former insurance broker from Managua living in Miami who was a relative of former Nicaraguan president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. He was an active FDN supporter and played a connecting role among Contra-linked drug traffickers in Miami.1
Introducing Meneses to Blandón
Norwin Meneses was introduced to Danilo Blandón through Barrios. After Meneses proposed that Blandón sell Cocaine in Los Angeles to raise money for the Contras, Barrios facilitated the initial connection. He later sent Blandón to fetch Meneses from LAX when Meneses first arrived in California in 1980 or 1981.12
Business Activities in Miami
Barrios was in business with several of Blandón's FDN associates. In 1984, Roger Sandino set up an import-export business in Miami with the help of a Coral Gables attorney who was in business with Barrios and former National Guard major general Gustavo Medina. Barrios later co-founded La Parrilla, an elegant Nicaraguan restaurant in Miami, with Medina. The restaurant became a hangout for Contra leaders and was the site of pro-Contra demonstrations and seminars. The Miami Herald described the cuisine as "Contra cooking from ex-Somoza General Gustavo Medina." Henry Corrales, Blandón's former cocaine distributor, also owned a piece of the restaurant.12
Sources
- Webb, Gary. Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty" ↩
- Webb, Gary. Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 21: "I could go anywhere in the world and sell dope" ↩
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