Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. Stuff they dont want you to know cia drug trafficking. Smoking cocaine has existed for as long as the drug, and even sigmund freud was know to enjoy cocaine cigars, and the practice predates the cia, by some 6070 years. The drug war that were fighting right now is a total failure, ross says. In another instance, the cia received allegations that five members of the democratic revolutionary alliance adren those fighting along the border of nicaragua and costa rica were involved in drug trafficking. New shows examine cias past role in latin americas drug. The secret flow of drugs and money, webb reported, had a direct link to the crack epidemic that devastated californias most vulnerable african american neighborhoods. In 1996 the agency was accused of being a crack dealer.
The full story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still yet to be told. Freeway rick ross and americas mass incarceration problem. Did the cia sell drugs to american dealers to destroy the. Ciacontracrack cocaine controversy table of contents. Journalist gary webb, california 1996, started investigating cias. In 1988, while running for president on the libertarian party ticket, he highlighted yet another conspiracy theory, and this one doesnt collapse under investigation. In this episode, chris calton explains how the potent mix of politicians and fake news created the myth of the crack baby, while the cia became drug runners for the contras. With jeremy renner, robert patrick, jena sims, robert pralgo. The crack epidemic in the united states was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the united states between the early 1980s and the early 1990s. The united states central intelligence agency cia has been accused of involvement in drug trafficking. New shows examine cia s past role in latin americas drug trade.
Pablo escobars son reveals his dad worked for the cia. During the 1980s, the war on drugs became defined by cocaine and crack. As long as you have enough money to buy the drugs you are welcome at the cia headquarters. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u. Crack is wack but did cia create it to kill off blacks. In 1996, journalist gary webb began looking into links between nicaraguas drugrunning contra rebels and the cia.
Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. Blandon and meneses were said to have used their drug trafficking profits to help fund the contra armys war effort. Cocaine lands in america from secret airports, lining the pockets of violent cartel bosses, and an infamous black widow, as the cia s shadow wars have unintended consequences. Oig analysis of allegations regarding blandons and meneses relationship with the contras and the cia. Amongst webbs fundamental problems was his implication that the cia lit the crack cocaine fuse. Later in the same region, while the cia was sponsoring a secret war in laos from 1961 to 1975, it was openly accused of trafficking heroin in the area then known as the. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yesand the charge. In exchange for support against foreign enemies, the groups were allowed to grow their drug trade in the united states. The cia, paul told a gathering of the national organization for the reform of marijuana laws, was involved in trafficking drugs as part of the irancontra debacle. New shows examine the cias past role in latin americas.
Crack babies, the contras, and the cia mises institute. Americas war on drugs also examines the longsimmering accusations of the cia s role in flooding the countrys inner cities with crack cocaine, ushering in the devastating 1980s epidemic. The us government cia is responsible for the crack epidemic. One claim brought up often in this is the cia invented crack, which is more than likely untrue. George bush, jeb bush, bill, hillary clinton is the mafia. The documentary series then delves into the rise of the cocaine cowboys, a secret island cocaine base, the cia s connection to the crack epidemic, the history of the cartels and their murderous tactics, the era of just say no, the negative effect of nafta, and the unlikely career of an almost famous midwest meth queen. This resulted in a number of social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in american inner city neighborhoods, as well as a resulting backlash in the form of tough on crime policies.
Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of which found evidence of any conspiracy by the cia or its employees to bring drugs into the united states. The cia sold drugs to anybody regardless of the race. Mainstream media finally exposes cia drug trafficking. Crack the cia 2001 sundance winner internet archive. Freeway rick ross on how he introduced crack to the u.
Black gangs used their profits to buy automatic weapons, sometimes from one of the cia linked drug dealers. The five were allegedly working with known drug trafficker jorge morales. Secrets of americas war on drugs new history channel series explores the dark corners of prohibition and takes viewers on. The second focus of the documentary is the irancontra scandal and the cia s alleged role in the crack boom of the 1980s. Here are 10 things to know about gary webb and his report that linked the cia to crack cocaine. Air america, a cia front, flew supplies for the guerrillas into laos and then flew drugs out, all with the knowledge and protection of u. Crack in the system official trailer 2014 marc levin. It started when webb wrote a series of three articles for the san jose mercury news in 1996 dubbed dark alliance. Did the cia play a role in launching the crack cocaine epidemic. The new documentary series, americas war on drugs covers everything from the role of the cia in the crack epidemic to the afghan drug trade. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum. A still frame of former crack kingpin rick ross in the history channel documentary americas war on drugs. Ross has a partnership stake in a documentary about his life, crack in the. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb telegraph.
The show explores longsimmering accusations of the cia s involvement in drug trafficking, including that the agency may have sponsored. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. Back in 1996, gary webb of the san jose mercury news broke a story stating not only that the nicaraguan contras supported by the united states in a rebellion against their leftleaning government were involved in the us crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, but also that the cia knew and turned a blind eye to the operation. Cut to the ambient hip hop loops of dj treke, crack the cia features explosive footage of mike rupperts historical televised confrontation with cia director.
A pair of new television programs tackles the role of the us central intelligence agency cia in the erection of latin american drug routes, and. Americas war on drugs is an immersive trip through the last five decades, uncovering how the cia, obsessed with keeping america safe in the fight against communism, allied itself with the. Documentary about cia drug trafficking from central america a number of allegations have been written about and several local, state, and federal investigations have taken place related to the notion of the mena intermountain municipal airport as a cia drop point in large scale cocaine trafficking beginning in the latter part of the 1980s. A 1998, a cia inspector generals report denied any ties between the u. Jump shot is a fantastic documentary on the man who introduced us to the jumper. The true story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still untold. There is a documentary called freeway rick ross that details the cia s involvement. And because there is no objective goal guiding american drug policy beyond empty platitudes like just say no, the result is incoherence, waste and failure. Freeway rick ross and americas mass incarceration problem war on drugs marc levins documentary freeway.
Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. Chris calton explains how the potent mix of politicans and fake news created the myth of the crack baby, while the cia became drug. While much of the ciacontradrug story had been revealed years ago in the press and in congressional hearings, the mercury news series added a crucial missing link. Your worst fears are true the cia did help to smuggle drugs into american ghettos, says an investigative reporter, webb was asked whether his story had confirmed the suspicion within the black community that the crack cocaine epidemic might be part of a. The first article also made other specific allegations of cia knowledge of, or involvement in, the drug rings activities. At the center of it all is the rise, fall and redemption of freeway rick ross, a street hustler who became the king of crack, and journalist gary webb, who broke the story of the cia s complicity in the drug war. History channel tells the secret history of the war on drugs. In his own words 2004, video of interview with gary webb from guerrilla news network inside the dark alliance.
Americas war on drugs is an immersive trip through the last five decades, uncovering how the cia, obsessed with keeping america safe in the fight against. Gary webb on the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, audio interviews 19971998 with gary webb from democracy now. During the korean war, the first allegations of cia drug trafficking surfaced after 1949, stemming from a deal whereby arms were supplied to chiang kaisheks defeated generals in exchange for intelligence. 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. Americas war on drugs is an immersive trip through the last five decades, uncovering how the cia, obsessed with keeping america safe in the fight against communism, allied itself with the mafia and foreign drug traffickers. In response to the book dark alliance, waters investigated contra crack dealing and found that the cia s oig report was tampered with before being released to congress, and that a u. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. Topics cia drug trade iran contra politics heroin cocaine oliver north southeast asia bill clinton mena cocaine guns john kerry report contras nwo new world order conspiracy gary webb. New shows examine cias past role in latin americas drug trade. Cia and their possible dealings with central america s drug culture, a san francisco drug ring, and an l. A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of a drug. 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.