---
category: Iran-Contra
summary: Edmundo Chamorro was the deputy commander of the UDN-FARN Contra faction,
  described by the DEA as "well known to The Company," and was captured on Costa Rican
  wiretaps discussing cocaine shipments.
tags:
- person
- nicaraguan
- contra-war
---

Edmundo Chamorro was the deputy commander of the [UDN-FARN](/organizations/udn-farn/) [Contra](/organizations/contras/) faction on [Costa Rica](/places/costa-rica/)'s Southern Front, described by a 1984 [DEA](/organizations/dea/) report as "well known to 'The Company.'" His brother, [Fernando "El Negro" Chamorro](/people/fernando-chamorro/), commanded UDN-FARN and was described by the [Central Intelligence Agency](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) as "playing a key role" in the organization.[^1]

### Captured on Wiretaps

When Costa Rican OIJ agents listened in on phone calls of cocaine dealer [Horacio Pereira](/people/horacio-pereira/), they found themselves eavesdropping on Contra commanders discussing [cocaine](/concepts/cocaine/) shipments, drug labs, weapons deliveries, and international politics. Among those captured on the wiretaps was UDN-FARN subcommander Edmundo Chamorro. The wiretaps provided direct evidence of the integration between Contra military operations and drug trafficking on the Southern Front.[^2]

### CIA Connections

The CIA deliberately recruited from the Chamorro faction's network of drug dealers and [Bay of Pigs](/events/bay-of-pigs/) veterans. One CIA policy objective was to replace the uncontrollable Eden Pastora with someone the CIA could more readily rely on, and the crowd surrounding the Chamorro brothers fit that profile. The UDN-FARN received early support from [Miami](/places/miami/)'s Cuban community and drew financial backing from anti-Communist networks connected to the intelligence community.[^3]

[^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. 14.
[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 14.