---
category: Country
summary: Saudi Arabia was a source of funding for the Contra war that supplemented
  the cocaine trafficking proceeds and Oliver North's illegal arms sales to Iran.
tags:
- geography
- middle-east
- contra-war
---

Saudi Arabia was a source of funding for the [Contra](/organizations/contras/) war that supplemented the [cocaine](/concepts/cocaine/) trafficking proceeds and [Oliver North](/people/oliver-north/)'s illegal arms sales to [Iran](/places/iran/). The Saudi government contributed millions to the Contra cause at the [Reagan](/people/ronald-reagan/) administration's request, part of the parallel funding streams that kept the war alive after Congress cut off official aid.[^1]

### Third-Party Funding

The Saudi contributions to the Contra war were part of Oliver North's network of third-party funding sources that included private donors, foreign governments, and drug trafficking proceeds. When Congress passed the [Boland Amendment](/events/boland-amendment/) cutting off military aid to the Contras, the administration turned to Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other sources to keep the war funded. The combination of Saudi money, Iranian arms sales proceeds, and cocaine trafficking revenue created a multi-source funding pipeline that operated outside congressional oversight.[^2]

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 16.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 16.