---
category: Military Installation
summary: Opa Locka was a location in the Miami area connected to Contra operations
  and aircraft used in the drug trafficking and weapons supply network.
tags:
- location
- florida
- contra-war
---

Opa Locka was a location in the [Miami](/places/miami/), [Florida](/places/florida/) area connected to [Contra](/organizations/contras/) operations and aircraft used in the drug trafficking and weapons supply network. The area's aviation facilities made it a convenient base for pilots involved in the Contra supply chain.[^1]

### Aviation Hub

Opa Locka's airfield served as one of the aviation facilities in the Miami area used by pilots connected to both the [Central Intelligence Agency](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/)'s Contra supply operations and the [cocaine](/concepts/cocaine/) trafficking networks that funded them. The proximity to Miami International Airport and the cluster of aviation-related businesses in the area, including [DIACSA](/organizations/diacsa/), made Opa Locka part of the infrastructure supporting the dual weapons-for-drugs shuttle between [Central America](/places/central-america/) and the [United States](/places/united-states/).[^2]

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 14.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 14.