Gustavo Medina
Former National Guard major general under Anastasio Somoza who served as the regime's counterinsurgency expert and later co-founded La Parrilla restaurant in Miami, a gathering place for Contra leaders.
Gustavo Medina, known as "El Tigre," was a major general in the Nicaraguan National Guard under Anastasio Somoza who served as the regime's counterinsurgency expert. After the 1979 revolution, Medina went into exile in Miami and became active in the FDN's support network.1
La Parrilla Restaurant
Medina co-founded La Parrilla, an elegant Nicaraguan restaurant in Miami, with businessman Donald Barrios, a wealthy former insurance broker from Managua and FDN supporter. Henry Corrales, Danilo Blandón's former cocaine distributor, also owned a piece of the restaurant. La Parrilla 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." In 1987 the Herald named it "the best Nicaraguan restaurant in Dade [County]" and awarded it four stars, the paper's highest rating. "The Cubans, our compatriots in exile, also are very fond of Nicaraguan food," Medina explained. Blandón later bought into La Parrilla as part of his Miami investment portfolio.2
Business Connections
Medina 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 Medina and Donald Barrios.1
Sources
- Webb, Gary. Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 20: "It is a sensitive matter" ↩
- 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" ↩
Local network
Gustavo Medina's direct connections. Click any node to navigate, drag to pan, scroll (or pinch) to zoom. + 2‑hop expands the neighborhood one level further.