---
category: City
summary: Major South Florida city that became the center of the Nicaraguan exile community,
  a hub for Contra fundraising and cocaine trafficking, and Danilo Blandón's base
  after leaving Los Angeles.
tags:
- Geography
- City
- United_States
- Florida
- Contra_War
- 1980s
---

Miami is a city in southern [Florida](/places/florida/) that served as a major hub for both [cocaine](/concepts/cocaine/) trafficking and [Contra](/organizations/contras/) political activity during the 1980s.[^1] [Danilo Blandón](/people/danilo-blandon/) moved to Miami from [Los Angeles](/places/los-angeles/) in 1987, investing his drug profits in a string of businesses and reconnecting with Nicaraguan exile networks.[^2]

### Contra Political Center

Miami was the center of the Nicaraguan exile community in the [United States](/places/united-states/). Contra leaders and supporters gathered at restaurants and businesses like La Parrilla, co-founded by former National Guard major general [Gustavo Medina](/people/gustavo-medina/) and FDN supporter [Donald Barrios](/people/donald-barrios/). Blandón bought into the restaurant, which became a hangout for Contra leaders and was named "the best Nicaraguan restaurant in Dade County" by the Miami Herald in 1987. [Jose Macario Estrada](/people/jose-macario/), an exiled Nicaraguan judge and Blandón's immigration lawyer, was also based in Miami.[^2]

### Cocaine Trafficking Hub

Miami was one of the primary entry points for Colombian cocaine into the United States. [Norwin Meneses](/people/norwin-meneses/) flew planeloads of 200 to 400 kilograms of cocaine from Miami to Los Angeles. Blandón continued pursuing [Ricky Ross](/people/ricky-ross/) from Miami, calling to offer cocaine deals, and traveled to [New York](/places/new-york-city/) to meet with Ross and Colombian suppliers. [Enrique Miranda](/people/enrique-miranda/), Meneses's former aide who "escaped" from a Nicaraguan prison, was found living in Miami in December 1996 with a visa the U.S. Embassy had issued him the day of his escape.[^3]

### Blandón's Business Empire

After moving to Miami, Blandón invested in Alpha II Rent-a-Car, which spread to twenty-four locations in southern Florida, and became an authorized outlet for Chrysler and General Motors vehicles. He also invested in Mex-US Import and Export Inc. and other businesses with Nicaraguan exile partners.[^2]

[^1]: 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"
[^2]: 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"
[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 25: "Things are moving all around us"