Gary Betzner
Gary Wayne "Hippie" Betzner was a copilot who flew CIA-protected drug and weapons flights for the Contras and testified under oath as a Justice Department witness.
Drug Flights for the Contras
Gary Wayne "Hippie" Betzner was a copilot who flew weapons and drug missions for Colombian trafficker George Morales in support of the Contras. Betzner, who had pleaded guilty to federal drug charges, testified during a federal trial in Oklahoma as a witness for the Justice Department—not as a defendant.1
Sworn Testimony
When asked by a defense lawyer if CIA people permitted him to fly airplanes into foreign countries carrying weapons, Betzner replied: "Why, sure." Asked if he brought drugs back, he said: "Yes." Asked if the CIA people knew what he was doing with the drugs, Betzner insisted: "Certainly."1
Betzner said he was not surprised that his boss Morales was helping the Contras: "No, actually, I wasn't surprised by it because I knew that George was anti-Communist, as are most Colombians. So the Cartel and people like that are definitely anti-Communist. . .It's strictly a capitalist movement, this drug business."1
Betzner and "Tito" Carrasco both confirmed George Morales's story about flying weapons to John Hull's ranch in northern Costa Rica and returning with cocaine—under oath as U.S. government witnesses. George Morales also passed a DEA-administered lie detector test about his Contra drug dealings.1
Sources
- Webb, Gary. Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 11: "They were looking in the other direction" ↩
Local network
Gary Betzner's direct connections. Click any node to navigate, drag to pan, scroll (or pinch) to zoom. + 2‑hop expands the neighborhood one level further.