Joseph Fernandez

Costa Rican Station Chief

Joseph Fernandez served as the Central Intelligence Agency's station chief in Costa Rica from 1984 to 1986, overseeing all agency operations on the Southern Front of the Contra war. Fernandez took orders directly from Oliver North and was so heavily involved in illegal Contra operations that he was fired and indicted for his participation.¹

Knowledge of Drug Trafficking

Fernandez confirmed in a secret congressional hearing in April 1987 that the CIA had substantiated cases of drug trafficking in Eden Pastora's organization: "There were certainly substantiated cases - and we can name names if you wish - of people in his coterie, of supporters and his lieutenants that did have connections with drug traffickers and, in fact, he himself received funds from a person who was known to be affiliated with drug traffickers."¹

Fernandez testified that former CIA official Alan Fiers Jr. once ordered him to use two suspected drug traffickers in a still-secret CIA operation involving the Contras. "For political considerations, there were two individuals who were associated with Pastora who had allegations against them for drug involvement and [the chief of the Central American Task Force] wanted [censored]," the declassified transcript states. "I objected to it in cable traffic, in person, and it was deemed necessary [censored], at least since these were only allegations and not proof, and so I was overruled and we proceeded to do it." When Senator Daniel Inouye asked if the situation went beyond mere allegation in his mind, Fernandez replied: "Yes, sir. [Censored] there were indications that our suspicions might be more well founded than. . ." The rest was censored for national security.¹

Promotion of UDN-FARN

Fernandez was instrumental in throwing CIA support behind Fernando "El Negro" Chamorro's UDN-FARN as the replacement for Pastora. He acknowledged to Congress that the CIA decided "to diminish Pastora's influence" and "raise up the stature of the Negro Chamorro people." Chamorro's forces proved militarily inept - Fernandez testified that Chamorro "to this day" had never entered Nicaragua - and created such difficulties that Fernandez was catching flak from both the Costa Rican government and the U.S. ambassador to "get those people under control."¹