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San Diego

Southern California city where Ricky Ross was prosecuted, Danilo Blandón served as a DEA informant, and the pivotal DEA meeting with Gary Webb took place in October 1995.

Mentions 24 Tags GeographyCityUnited_StatesCaliforniaDark_Alliance_Investigation

San Diego is a city in southern California near the Mexican border that was the site of Ricky Ross's arrest, trial, and sentencing on federal cocaine conspiracy charges.1

DEA Sting and Trial

The DEA reverse sting that arrested Ross took place in National City and Chula Vista, suburbs south of San Diego, on March 2, 1995. Ross was held without bail at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown San Diego.2

DEA Meeting with Webb

On October 19, 1995, Gary Webb met with six DEA agents at the National City regional office, including SAC Craig Chretien and Blandón's handlers Chuck Jones and Judy Gustafson. Chretien asked Webb to omit Blandón's DEA ties from his story. Eight days later, Robert Nieves resigned as head of the DEA's International Division and Chretien was promoted to replace him.3

Trial and Sentencing

Ross's trial took place in federal court in San Diego before Judge Marilyn Huff in March 1996. Prosecutor LJ Oneale filed a motion to prevent any mention of the CIA at trial. At sentencing, Huff told O'Neale she wanted answers from the CIA before passing sentence and ordered deportation proceedings against Blandón.4

Sources

  1. Webb, Gary. Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 24: "They're gonna forget I was a drug dealer" ↩
  2. Webb, Gary. Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 24: "They're gonna forget I was a drug dealer" ↩
  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" ↩
  4. Webb, Gary. Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 27: "A very difficult decision" ↩

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