The movie, kill the messenger, is forcing the mainstream u. Oliver north worked with cocaine traffickers to arm. Allegations of cocaine trafficking by contras also arose during the investigation conducted by independent counsel lawrence walsh into the irancontra affair. May 12, 2018 the full extent of norths complicity in cocaine trafficking will never be known. How john kerry exposed the irancontra scandal and showed. For the cia contra cocaine connection they include the invocation of national security, the limiting of testimony by narrow questions, limited mandates for investigative bodies and, in the case of the select iran contra committee hearings, the appointment of a cia connected lead investigator.
The cia, the contras and the crack cocaine explosion detailing his own reporting. When you hear of the iran contra scandal you mostly think of the hostage crisis that happened in tehran, iran which was seen as another case of blowback by many. A look at the twisted history of the ciacontracocaine story. His articles asserted that the cia was aware of the cocaine. In it, he claimed the contra rebels in nicaragua were shipping cocaine into.
Irancontra affair conspiracy theories and alternative news. It did occur around the same time, but mainly it was because there was a glut of cocaine on the market and dealers were looking for a way to generate more money with smaller quantities. Along with a leading role in the irancontra scandal in which north helped. Justice report finds no cia link to crack cocaine trafficking july 23, 1998 contra leaders say cia not involved in drug sales november 26, 1996 deutch confronts angry l. These men were involved in a secret and illegal covert military operation, whereby weapons were being sold to an enemy state, iran, and the profits from those sales were going to illegally fund an army of rebels the cia was building in central america. When the irancontra scandal story broke in november 1986, he ordered hall to destroy so many documents that the. The true story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still untold. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb found the big onethe blockbuster story every journalist secretly dreams aboutwithout even looking for it. This gave rise to gangs, tore black neighborhoods apart, and contributed to the massive international drug mafia we have today. For nearly a decade the cia spread crack cocaine in black neighborhoods to fund their proxi nicaraguan contra army.
Hired by the san jose mercury news, webb contributed to the papers pulitzer prize winning. Gary stephen webb august 31, 1955 december 10, 2004 was an american investigative journalist. Cocaine, contras and the cia november 20, 2014 alan maass recounts the background to a movie about reporter gary webb and the slander campaign against him for exposing the 1980s contracocaine. The united states central intelligence agency cia has been accused of involvement in drug trafficking. In august 1987, the chief of the cias central american task force testified before the irancontra committee of congress that drug smuggling by the southern.
For the ciacontracocaine connection they include the invocation of national security, the limiting of testimony by narrow questions, limited mandates for investigative bodies and, in the case of the select irancontra committee hearings, the appointment of a cia connected lead investigator. On july 23, 1998 the department of justices office of inspector general released its long awaited report, entitled the cia contra crack cocaine controversy. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion webb, gary. By 1985, cocainerelated hospital emergencies rose by 12 percent, from. Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of. Oliver north shred documents having to do with the affair, in which senior reagan administration officials facilitated arm sales to iran in order to fund the nicaraguan contras.
The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion kindle edition by webb, gary, waters, maxine. As to why they say reagan was involved in creating and selling crack its just hyperbole. According to the stories, the cia and its operatives used crack cocainesold via. Cnn cia admits it overlooked contras links to drugs. News that central intelligence agency operatives were tied to the crack cocaine epidemic has prompted calls that the oliver northrun. The san jose mercury news articles spurred renewed interest in the subject of drug trafficking in support of the contras, particularly the allegation that certain contra supporters described in the articles trafficked drugs with the knowledge and support of the cia and were responsible for the crack explosion in southern california and. He began his career working for newspapers in kentucky and ohio, winning numerous awards, and building a strong reputation for investigative writing. Iranian crack is a new form of narcotic substance that has found widespread prevalence in iran in the past years. The igs report cleared the cia of complicity with the innercity crack cocaine trade. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. The charges of cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking were revived in 1996, when a newspaper series by reporter gary webb in the san jose mercury news claimed that the trafficking had played an important role in the creation of the crack cocaine drug problem in the united states.
Iran contra trafficker freeway rick ross headed for. Dark alliance was a series written by californiabased reporter webb and published in the san jose mercury news in 1996. When you hear of the irancontra scandal you mostly think of the hostage. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was. Dennis ainsworth, a berkeleybased conservative activist who had supported the contra cause for years, gave a lengthy description of his suspicions to fbi agents. The protagonist for this part of the contracocaine mystery was moises nunez, a cubanamerican who worked for oliver norths nsc contrasupport operation and for two drugconnected seafood. How john kerry exposed the irancontra scandal and showed the. On august 18, 1996, the san jose mercury news published the first installment of a threepart series of articles concerning crack cocaine, the central intelligence agency cia. When new york times reporters conducted their own interview with palacio, she immediately. Nov 03, 1998 justice report finds no cia link to crack cocaine trafficking july 23, 1998 contra leaders say cia not involved in drug sales november 26, 1996 deutch confronts angry l.
Iran contra trafficker freeway rick ross headed for tv. In 1996 gary webb wrote a series of articles published in the san jose mercury news, which investigated nicaraguans linked to the ciabacked contras who had smuggled cocaine into the u. Gary webb interview on the contras and ronald reagan 1996. While the iran contra affair is obviously a massive chapter in modern us history, the contra cocaine connection has stunning implications for 1980s uscentral america relations. Made into a pariah much like gary webb, the reporter that wrote dark alliance on the iran contra in 1996, people simply wanted it all to go away because within kerrys accusation was a darker reality than discovered in any.
On july 23, 1998 the department of justices office of inspector general released its long awaited report, entitled the ciacontracrack cocaine controversy. Ciacontracrack cocaine controversy justice oig department. If youve heard about the ciacontracrack allegations, its probably because of gary webb, who in august 1996 authored several. The main point that webb added to the story was how some of the contra cocaine fed into the production of crackcocaine that had such a devastating effect on americas black communities in. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. On june 8, 1987 hall testified in the irancontra hearings to helping her boss lt. The reagan administration and the cia also collaborated with nicaraguan cocaine traffickers to support the contras led to the crack epidemic of the 1980s.
Why do people say reagan put crack cocaine in the hood. Oct 25, 2004 the ap contra cocaine story had run in december 1985, almost a year before the iran contra story broke. The cia, irancontra, crack cocaine conspiracy write comment 0 comments. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb in 1996, journalist gary webb began looking into links between nicaraguas drugrunning contra rebels and the cia. Based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central l. The contras have been associated with intrigue since the irancontra affair rocked the reagan administration in late 1986 with the news that weapons were sold to. Mar 21, 2015 the cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb in 1996, journalist gary webb began looking into links between nicaraguas drugrunning contra rebels and the cia.
It refuted charges that cia officials knew that their nicaraguan allies were dealing drugs. The conspiracy blog conspiracy theories and alternative. The cia, the contras and crack cocaine albion monitor. When you hear of the irancontra scandal you mostly think of the hostage crisis that happened in tehran, iran which was seen as another case of blowback by many. Most popular iran contra affair movies and tv shows imdb. Cia involvement in trafficking is usually alleged to be connected to the contra war in nicaragua and the irancontra affair during the reagan. Books and investigations on the subject that have received general notice include works by historian alfred mccoy.
The contras have been associated with intrigue since the iran contra affair rocked the reagan administration in late 1986 with the news that weapons were sold to iran to help free hostages from. Iran contra trafficker freeway rick ross headed for tv emmett. On august 18, 1996, the san jose mercury news published the first installment of a threepart series of articles concerning crack cocaine, the central intelligence agency cia, and the nicaraguan contra army. News that central intelligence agency operatives were tied to the crack cocaine epidemic has prompted calls that the oliver northrun iran contra scandal be reopened to discover. Irancontra, crack cocaine, and the transformation of hiphop. While the irancontra affair is obviously a massive chapter in modern us history, the contracocaine connection has stunning implications for 1980s uscentral america relations. A simple phone call concerning an unexceptional pending drug trial turned into a massive conspiracy involving the nicaraguan contra rebels, l. If youve heard about the ciacontracrack allegations, its probably because of gary webb, who in. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dark alliance. Irancontra, crack cocaine, and the transformation of hip.
The protagonist for this part of the contracocaine mystery was moises nunez, a cubanamerican who worked for oliver norths nsc contrasupport operation and for. Crack only nominally resembles crack cocaine as it is widely different in its clinical signs. The full extent of norths complicity in cocaine trafficking will never be known. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The ap contracocaine story had run in december 1985, almost a year before the irancontra story broke. Crack in the system gop hiphop iran contra jayz kanye west kill the messenger rap ronald reagan the right related articles fearless journalism. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. An august, 1996, series in the san jose mercury news by reporter gary webb linked the origins of crack cocaine in california to the contras, a guerrilla force backed by the reagan administration that attacked nicaraguas sandinista government during the 1980s. Ciacontra connection recent central american history. Theres another piece to the portrait, the drug running and the turned, and sometimes supportive head of the cia, dea, and reagan administration to fund the contras, a rightwing. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. When the irancontra scandal story broke in november 1986.
The contras, cocaine, and covert operations in february 1987 a contra sympathizer in california told the fbi he believed fdn officials were involved in the drug trade. Based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. Twentythree years ago today, fawn hall became the most famous secretary in america.
In august of 1985, the united states government under the administration of president ronald reagan secretly and illegally began selling weapons to iran, which was engaged in what would be a bloody, eightyear long war with saddam husseins iraq. Thus the present study aims to quantify the chemical combination of this drug. The next year, he published a book titled dark alliance. When the iran contra scandal story broke in november 1986, he ordered hall to destroy so many documents that the. Jun 04, 20 the ap contracocaine story had run in december 1985, almost a year before the irancontra story broke. The cocaine that flooded in helped spark a crack explosion in urban america.
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