#United_States
83 entries tagged United_States.
People (54)
- Alan Fenster Beverly Hills defense attorney who represented Ricky Ross throughout his legal troubles, including the DEA reverse sting case.
- Aparicio Moreno Colombian cocaine supplier and money launderer connected to both the Blandon and Meneses organizations, the FDN, and a Guatemalan CIA agent.
- Brad Brunon Los Angeles attorney who represented Danilo Blandón and provided firsthand observations about Contra fundraising through cocaine trafficking.
- Chris Moore Former reserve police officer and office manager for Pyramid International Security Consultants who witnessed the company's El Salvador operations firsthand.
- Chuck Jones DEA agent who served as Danilo Blandón's primary handler from 1993 to 1995 and denied any knowledge of Blandón's Contra drug trafficking history during a contentious meeting with Gary Webb.
- Craig Chretien DEA Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego regional office who met with Gary Webb in October 1995 in an attempt to dissuade him from publishing the Dark Alliance story, and who was later promoted to head the DEA's International Division.
- Crossan Andersen Federal prosecutor in Los Angeles who took the Danilo Blandon case to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and described it as "a sensitive matter" involving CIA allegations.
- Daniel Garner LASD Majors II deputy and court-certified money-laundering expert whose prosecution for corruption nearly exposed the Contra-CIA drug connection through documents he had seized from Ronald Lister's home in 1986.
- Danny Ray Lasater Little Rock bond broker and Clinton associate convicted of drug trafficking, connected to Barry Seal's operations at Mena, Arkansas.
- Dennis Ainsworth San Francisco Contra supporter and Republican activist who discovered the FDN's cocaine trafficking connections and alerted the FBI, only to be ignored.
- Dewey Clarridge Chief of the CIA Latin American Division from 1981 to 1984 who oversaw the creation of the Contra project, recruited Contra leaders including Eden Pastora, and was later indicted for perjury during the Iran-Contra investigation.
- Don Sinicco Italian-American pharmaceutical salesman who founded USACA, a San Francisco Contra support group, at the request of Adolfo Calero.
- Donald Barrios Wealthy Nicaraguan exile, FDN supporter, and relative of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro who introduced Norwin Meneses to Danilo Blandon and co-founded La Parrilla restaurant in Miami as a Contra gathering place.
- Douglas Aukland FBI agent in Riverside, California, whose walk-in informant exposed the Blandon-Meneses Contra drug connection but who was given minimal resources to investigate.
- Doyle McManus Los Angeles Times Washington bureau chief who played a central role in spreading a 1984 CIA leak about Sandinista drug trafficking and later led the Times' refutation of Contra drug trafficking allegations.
- Fred Hitz CIA Inspector General whose 1998 investigation and congressional testimony revealed the agency's secret 1982 agreement with the Justice Department exempting CIA assets from drug crimes reporting.
- Gary Webb Investigative reporter for the San Jose Mercury News whose 1996 Dark Alliance series exposed links between CIA-backed Contras, Nicaraguan cocaine traffickers, and the crack explosion in Los Angeles.
- Gustavo Medina Former National Guard major general under Anastasio Somoza who served as the regime's counterinsurgency expert and later co-founded La Parrilla restaurant in Miami, a gathering place for Contra leaders.
- Harland Braun Prominent criminal defense attorney who represented Deputy Daniel Garner in the Operation Big Spender corruption trial and attempted to introduce evidence of CIA drug money laundering, resulting in a judicial gag order.
- Henry Corrales Nicaraguan cocaine trafficker who served as the intermediary between Danilo Blandón and Ricky Ross after Ivan Arguellas was paralyzed.
- Humberto Cardona Colombian cocaine kingpin extradited to the United States in 1985 who continued supplying the South Central Los Angeles crack market through the Meneses-Blandon network while jetting around the world.
- Ivan Torres Ivan Torres was a Nicaraguan drug trafficker and FDN West Coast branch chief who managed Danilo Blandon's Los Angeles cocaine operations while claiming CIA awareness of his drug activities.
- Jerry Ceppos Executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News who initially championed the Dark Alliance series before publishing a column describing shortcomings in the reporting, effectively ending the investigation.
- Jerry Guzzetta Bell Police Department narcotics detective whose personal vendetta against drug dealers led to the Torres brothers investigation, codenamed Project Sahara, which uncovered the massive Blandon-Ross cocaine network.
- Jesse Katz Los Angeles Times reporter who covered Ricky Ross and the L.A. crack trade extensively, attempting to scoop Gary Webb's Dark Alliance investigation before publication.
- John Vandewerker Former CIA officer who employed Richard Wilker and knew of his weapons business activities with Ronald Lister in El Salvador.
- Jose Macario Exiled Nicaraguan judge and FDN operative who became Danilo Blandon's business partner and immigration lawyer in Miami, helping arrange travel papers for Contra soldiers while investing drug profits in legitimate businesses.
- Joseph Kelso Former CIA and Customs Service informant who uncovered evidence of DEA corruption in Costa Rica, was beaten and deported, and had his evidence destroyed by Oliver North's network.
- Leroy Brown Corner Pocket Crip and Compton crack dealer who became a business partner of Ricky Ross.
- LJ Oneale Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted Ricky Ross and represented the government in efforts to suppress evidence of Danilo Blandón's Contra connections during the trial.
- Marilyn Huff Federal judge who presided over Ricky Ross's 1996 trial in San Diego, allowing the government to conduct classified testimony at sidebar and denying defense motions to obtain records about Danilo Blandón's Contra connections.
- Neil Purcell Former Laguna Beach police chief who hired Ronald Lister and described him as a manipulative person who loved living on the edge.
- Ollie Newell Childhood friend and original business partner of Ricky Ross who helped launch their cocaine dealing operation in 1981.
- Rafael Cornejo Norwin Meneses's nephew and distributor in the San Francisco Bay Area since the mid-1970s whose territory stretched to Portland, Oregon, convicted of income tax evasion in 1985 and cocaine trafficking in 1996.
- Richard Wilker Former CIA agent who served as technical director for Pyramid International Security Consultants' weapons operations in El Salvador.
- Ricky Ross Freeway Ricky Donnell Ross led South Central Los Angeles's largest crack cocaine distribution network, expanding from local dealing to a coast-to-coast operation that moved over 150 kilos per week at its peak.
- Robert Byck Yale University cocaine expert who warned Congress in 1979 about an impending freebase cocaine epidemic, was ignored, and returned in 1986 to criticize the government's failure to act.
- Robert Owen Oliver North's courier in Central America whose phone number was found aboard a drug-seized Contra supply plane.
- Robert Sobel LASD Majors I supervisor who led the Freeway Rick Task Force targeting Ricky Ross, nicknamed "El Diablo" by his detectives for his relentless work ethic and fierce demeanor.
- Robert Stutman Head of the DEA's New York office who deliberately created the 1986 crack media panic by cultivating reporters to pressure Washington into taking the drug seriously.
- Roger Morris Historian and former NSC staffer who documented connections between Barry Seal's drug operations at Mena, Arkansas and the CIA.
- Roger Sandino Roger Sandino Martinez was a veteran Nicaraguan drug trafficker and FDN operative who took over Danilo Blandon's South Central Los Angeles cocaine operation after Blandon relocated to Miami.
- Ronald Lister Former police officer who became Danilo Blandón's partner in cocaine trafficking and weapons dealing through Pyramid International Security Consultants, with suspected CIA connections.
- Scott Weekly Former Navy SEAL and weapons expert known as "Dr. Death" who was Ronald Lister's CIA contact and participated in covert operations for the NSC and State Department while connected to the Blandon drug investigation.
- Seth Rosenfeld San Francisco Examiner reporter whose 1986 investigative stories exposed the Frogman Case Contra drug connections and Norwin Meneses's cocaine trafficking network.
- Steve Polak LAPD narcotics detective who patrolled South Central Los Angeles from the earliest days of crack cocaine and developed an intense personal vendetta against Ricky Ross, ultimately planting a kilo of cocaine to frame him.
- Terry Reed Former Air Force intelligence officer who helped the CIA set up weapons manufacturing fronts in Arkansas and Mexico for the Contras.
- Thomas Dowling Fake Catholic priest and Contra activist who received $73,000 from Oliver North and Adolfo Calero for domestic propaganda operations.
- Thomas Gordon LASD Major Violators detective who led the investigation into the Blandon-Ross cocaine network after receiving Jerry Guzzetta's Project Sahara reports.
- Tim LaFrance San Diego arms manufacturer who helped establish weapons manufacturing operations in El Salvador for the Contras through Pyramid International Security Consultants.
- Tootie Reese Alleged king of cocaine in black Los Angeles during the 1970s, overtaken by the crack era and successors like Ricky Ross.
- Walter Pincus Washington Post national security reporter who led the newspaper's attack on the Dark Alliance series and had a documented history as a CIA operative and propagandist during the Cold War.
- Wanda Palacios Miami FBI informant and wife of a Colombian trafficker who witnessed Southern Air Transport planes being loaded with cocaine and unloading guns in Colombia.
- Webb Hubbell Arkansas lawyer and associate attorney general under Clinton with connections to weapons manufacturing for the Contras and the Mena, Arkansas drug investigation.
Organizations (16)
- Adelphi Academies Adelphi Academies was a private children's school in Florida owned by a wealthy individual named Peter Bradford.
- Cabazon Indian Reservation The Cabazon Indian Reservation is located near Indio, California, and is home to the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians.
- DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration was the principal federal anti-narcotics agency that possessed extensive knowledge of Danilo Blandón's cocaine trafficking as early as 1981 yet took no action while he received U.S. political asylum.
- LAPD Municipal police department that witnessed but failed to identify the emergence of crack cocaine in South Central L.A. in 1982.
- LASD Major Violators Elite narcotics units of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that investigated the Blandon-Ross cocaine network and were considered among the best drug detectives in the nation.
- Los Angeles Times Largest newspaper in the western United States that published the 1996 attack on the Dark Alliance series, led by Washington bureau chief Doyle McManus who had previously spread a 1984 CIA leak falsely accusing Sandinista officials of drug trafficking.
- NAMBLA NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) was a United States-based organization that advocated for the normalization of sexual relationships between men and boys.
- NHAO The Nicaraguan Humanitarian Assistance Office was a State Department unit hijacked by Oliver North to distribute aid to the Contras through companies owned and operated by drug traffickers.
- Ocean Living Institute The Ocean Living Institute was a sea-steading foundation incorporated in New Jersey by Adam Starchild, who also served as the incorporating agent for Brother Paul's Children's Mission on North Fox Island.
- Painting Decorating Maintenance Painting Decorating Maintenance (PDM) was a construction company owned by John Wayne Gacy in Norwood Park, Chicago.
- Park On Meter Arkansas parking meter manufacturer allegedly used as a front for manufacturing weapons parts for the Contras, with connections to Webb Hubbell.
- Pyramid International Security Consultants Newport Beach security company incorporated by Ronald Lister that served as a cover for CIA-connected weapons manufacturing in El Salvador during the Contra war.
- San Jose Mercury News The San Jose Mercury News published the Dark Alliance series in August 1996, using the Internet to share source documents with the public in an unprecedented act of journalistic transparency.
- U.S. Customs U.S. federal law enforcement agency responsible for border protection and customs enforcement that investigated Contra-connected cocaine trafficking through informants including Joseph Kelso.
- USACA San Francisco Contra support group founded by Don Sinicco at the request of Adolfo Calero, infiltrated by drug trafficker Norwin Meneses.
- Washington Post Major national newspaper whose national security reporter Walter Pincus, a former CIA operative, led the first major media attack on the Dark Alliance series.
Programs (1)
- Operation Big Spender FBI sting operation that exposed widespread corruption within the LASD Major Violators squads, resulting in the conviction of multiple narcotics detectives and nearly exposing the CIA-Contra drug connection.
Events (2)
- Business Plot 1933 alleged conspiracy by Wall Street financiers including the DuPont family to overthrow President Roosevelt and install a fascist dictatorship.
- Iran-Contra Affair Political scandal involving the secret sale of arms to Iran to fund the Nicaraguan Contras in violation of the Boland Amendment, leading to indictments of multiple CIA and NSC officials.
Concepts (3)
- Boland Amendment Series of congressional amendments prohibiting U.S. funding for Contra military operations, widely circumvented by the Reagan administration and the CIA.
- Crack Cocaine Crack is a smokable, mass-producible form of cocaine that transformed the drug from an expensive luxury into a cheap commodity devastating American inner cities throughout the 1980s.
- Fascism Fascism emerged as a political ideology that found expression in both American and European contexts examined in the text. In the United States, fascist sympathizers attempted to subvert democratic institutions during the 1930s.
Places (7)
- California Most populous U.S. state, home to San Francisco and Los Angeles, the two primary centers of Contra-connected cocaine trafficking by Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandón during the 1980s.
- Los Angeles Largest city in California and the center of the crack cocaine explosion in South Central Los Angeles, fueled by cocaine supplied by Danilo Blandón's Contra-connected drug ring throughout the 1980s.
- Mena, Arkansas Small Arkansas town where Barry Seal based drug-smuggling and weapons operations at Intermountain Regional Airport during the Contra war.
- Miami 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.
- 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.
- San Francisco Major California city that served as the base of operations for Norwin Meneses's cocaine trafficking network, the site of the Frogman Case, and the location of key DEA and FBI offices investigating Contra drug trafficking.
- South Central Los Angeles Region of Los Angeles that was the epicenter of the crack cocaine explosion in the early 1980s, where Danilo Blandón's Contra-connected cocaine was converted to crack and distributed by Ricky Ross's network.