---
category: Authors & Journalists
summary: Tony Avirgan was an ABC cameraman and husband of journalist Martha Honey
  who was placed under FBI surveillance while investigating Contra drug trafficking
  in Costa Rica.
tags:
- person
- journalist
- contra-war
---

Tony Avirgan was an ABC cameraman and husband of journalist [Martha Honey](/people/martha-honey/) who was placed under [Federal Bureau of Investigation](/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation/) surveillance while investigating [Contra](/organizations/contras/) drug trafficking in [Costa Rica](/places/costa-rica/). Avirgan and Honey pursued the connections between the Contra war and the drug trade on the Southern Front.[^1]

### Surveillance and Intimidation

The FBI placed both Avirgan and Honey under surveillance in response to their reporting on Contra-connected drug trafficking. The monitoring of journalists by federal law enforcement was part of the broader pattern of suppressing information about the relationship between U.S. intelligence agencies and drug traffickers. Avirgan's work as a cameraman brought him into contact with the Southern Front operations where [John Hull](/people/john-hull/)'s ranch and other facilities served as bases for both Contra military operations and narcotics smuggling.[^2]

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 18.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 18.