Fabio Ernesto Carrasco

Drug Flights for the Contras

Fabio Ernesto "Tito" Carrasco was a pilot who flew weapons and drug missions for Colombian trafficker George Morales in support of the Contras. Under oath as a U.S. government witness, Carrasco testified that planeloads of weapons were flown to a ranch in northern Costa Rica owned by CIA operative John Hull. After dropping off arms, large green duffel bags full of cocaine belonging to the Contras were loaded aboard and flown back into the United States, usually to the public airport at Opa Locka, Florida.¹

CIA Protection of Flights

Carrasco testified that one of Pastora's commanders assured him the Central Intelligence Agency was protecting the flights from Costa Rica all the way into Florida. "Octaviano and Popo tell George [Morales], 'Listen, these people supposed to work for the CIA, those people are supposed to have, you know, everything under control, so the people tell George, 'Do it at Opa Locka. Nothing will happen if the plane arrives at Opa Locka.'" When asked if anyone stopped him at Opa Locka, Carrasco replied: "Nobody."¹

Carrasco's opinion was that the entire operation was protected from police interference from Panama to the United States. "Every week I flew to Panama, between Panama and Costa Rica, with different passports and different names and they never asked me why. So if that is not protection, I don't know what is protection."¹

Money Deliveries

When money from drug sales was collected, Carrasco delivered it to CIA operatives Cesar and Chamorro, "sometimes in the United States, sometimes in Costa Rica." He said he delivered bags of money "sometimes two, three times a day. . .I paid a lot of money, maybe millions." The Contra officials gave Carrasco and Morales "good passports" from Nicaragua during a party at Morales's house in Miami, complete with entry and exit stamps from various countries, lacking only a name and photograph.¹