Oct 05, 2011 the drugs the cia let into the country contributed to the deaths of many africanamericans in the ghetto, these drugs were part of the crack epidemic. In a highly publicised correction, a california newspaper has acknowledged that its allegations of cia involvement in spreading crack cocaine among urban blacks were seriously flawed. Rereading the story of the crack epidemic jstor daily. In 1996 the agency was accused of being a crack dealer. The five were allegedly working with known drug trafficker jorge morales.
A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of a drug. Drug trafficking is a gold mine for people who want to raise money in the underground government in order to finance projects that they cant get legitimately. This source, ricky ross, was being unwittingly used to fund the guerrilla war in nicaragua. The reagan administration and the cia also collaborated with nicaraguan cocaine traffickers to support the contras led to the crack epidemic of the 1980s. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies.
Crack cocaine was popularized because of its affordability, its immediate euphoric effect, and its high profitability. Snowfall is a onehour drama set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic and its ultimate radical impact on the culture as we know it. Evidence does not support allegations of cia participation. 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. In burma in 1950, the cia regrouped the remnants of the defeated nationalist chinese army, or kmt, to. This is a stunning revelation into the crack epidemic perpitrated in part by the reagan administration era. Webb had discovered that the cocaine being brought into these areas all came from one source. However, the mercury news series contained or at least many readers interpreted it to contain a new sensational claim. Gary webb, shadowy origins of crack epidemic, san jose mercury news. David icke americas crackcocaine epidemic created by the cia. The drugs the cia let into the country contributed to the deaths of many africanamericans in the ghetto, these drugs were part of the crack epidemic. The subject of todays hearings involves the allegations of cia in volvement in the u. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. Did the cia play a role in launching the crack cocaine epidemic.
A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yesand the charge. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb telegraph. It has long been known that the cia has illegally toppled foreign governments. This is the true story about the cia contra relationship. How one journalist linked the cia to the crack epidemic. Here are 10 things to know about gary webb and his report that linked the cia to crack cocaine. The pipeline of cia backed drug smuggling into the country and money smuggling out of the country to support the nicaraguan contras was wide open from the.
How gary webb linked the cia to the crack epidemic and paid the ultimate price gary webbs dark alliance series boldly claimed the cia knew about a u. The series follows the stories of several characters whose lives are fated to intersect including cia operative teddy mcdonald who helps to secure guns for the contras. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. The secondary sources shall allow for more evidence to support the claim that the c. The reagan administration and the cia also collaborated with nicaraguan cocaine traffickers to support the contras led to the crack epidemic. Despite what a new movie says about the reporter who linked the cia and crack.
The book is based on dark alliance, webbs threepart investigative series published in the san jose mercury news in august 1996. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. Ricky ross was apprehended after a drug sting by the dea which was organized by. The articles did not say directly that the spy agency knew about. Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. A had involvement in the down fall of the black panther party and the african american community as a whole.
Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. There has, on the other hand, been a lot of conjecture. A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of a drug triangle during the 1980s that linked cia officials in central america, a san francisco drug. He wrote a fourpart series for the san jose mercury news, which eventually became the book, dark alliance. Eighteen years after it was published, dark alliance, the san jose mercury newss bombshell investigation into links between the cocaine. This excellent web site presents the evidence in a series of compelling articles, along with photographs and sound clips from testimony about the cia s involvement in the crack.
Cia and cocaine how the cia sparked the crackepidemic. The newspaper articles suggested that the united states government had protected blandon and meneses from prosecution and either knowingly permitted them to peddle massive quantities of cocaine to the black residents. Cia and contras cocaine trafficking in the us intelligence. The cia was very much involved in the irancontra scandals. It was not orchestrated by the contras or the cia or any single drug ring.
The source for that statement is gary webbs book dark alliance. Dark alliance, gary webbs landmark 1996 newspaper series alleging cia involvement in the crack cocaine epidemic, created a firestorm of controversy that ultimately drove webb out of. It is very clear that the cia has been very much involved with drug dealings, paul said. Crack epidemic united states history 1980s britannica. The newspaper articles suggested that the united states government had protected blandon and meneses from prosecution. Justice department to open probes, even as officials denied the charges. What did the cia have to gain by being involved with. Levine found analyzing the reaction to crack in the 1980s, sensationalist reporting can lead to troubling responses. Crack epidemic, the significant increase in the use of crack cocaine, or crack, in the united states during the early 1980s. Usually the cia s activities have harmful effects on innocent civilians in foreign countries.
In short, webb accused the cia of being complicit in getting thousands of poor africanamericans addicted to crack in order to fund rebels in central america. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u. How one journalist linked the cia to the crack epidemic and. This excellent web site presents the evidence in a series of compelling articles, along with photographs and sound clips from testimony about the cias involvement in the crack trade in south central.
In this case, the cia s activities led to the crack epidemic in americas inner cities, which caused american citizens much pain and misery. Dark alliance was a series written by californiabased reporter webb and published in the san jose mercury news in 1996. Outraged at cia role in drug trade duke university. The contras provided both protection and infrastructure planes, pilots, airstrips, warehouses, front companies and banks to these cialinked drug networks.
Black gangs used their profits to buy automatic weapons, sometimes from one of the cialinked drug dealers. The intro on the supposed cia involvement in the crack epidemic says. Says it has found no link between itself and crack trade. Titled dark alliance, the headline ran beneath the provocative image of a man smoking crack superimposed on the official seal of the cia. Allegedly fueled by cia involvement stemming from the iran. 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. At least four transport companies under investigation for drug trafficking received us government contracts to. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects. News that central intelligence agency operatives were tied to the crack cocaine epidemic has. A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of a drug triangle during the 1980s that linked cia. While working for the san jose mercury news, gary webb had discovered the cia contra connection in california in the mid1990s, while investigating the crack cocaine epidemic within the black community.
Beginning with the irancontra affair, some politicians and journalists began arguing that the cia contributed to the rise of the epidemic. 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. The findings will be required reading for anyone concerned by the rise of crack, but given the cias habit of burying its own past, undoubtedly not the final word. If theyd been in a more respectable line of work, norwin meneses, danilo blandon and freeway rick ross would have been hailed as geniuses of marketing.
The series revolves around the first crack epidemic and its impact on the culture of the city. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. Sep 20, 2019 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. What did the cia have to gain by being involved with the crack epidemic in the 80s.
A did have involvement the leaders did not know anything about it. 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. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum. Cia director john deutch, meanwhile, has ordered his inspector general to file a report on the subject within 60 days. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion is a 1998 book by journalist gary webb.
Thats what donna warren, whose son was a victim of the drug wars. Blandon and meneses were said to have used their drug trafficking profits to help fund the contra armys war effort. After reading about gary webb exposing the cias potential complicity in l. Showtime drama to chronicle origins of crack cocaine. We see a year 1976 when the us was violating a senate law that forbid the us from engaging in the angolan civil war and we.
Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic. As policymakers seek solutions for the ongoing epidemic of opioid overdoses, horror stories about the effects of the drugs fuel calls for more punitive law enforcement, as well as better treatment options. Oct 14, 2011 the corsican crime syndicate, in turn, used the cia support to set up the trafficking network known as the french connection which saw heroin smuggled from turkey to france, and shipped to the us, feeding an american heroin epidemic. Even if a major investigation into the allegations is done, it is unlikely to quell the certainty among many african americans that the government played a role in bringing the crack epidemic. Links to information about the cia complicity in the drug trade. Investigative journalist and former nsa contractor wayne madsen told press tv on monday the latest ebola outbreak in africa may be a resurfacing of an earlier infection linked to the cia. Mar 09, 2017 cia and cocaine how the cia sparked the crackepidemic. Says it has found no link between itself and crack. How the cia watched over the destruction of gary webb. The mainstream media in the united states continue to cover up the considerable role played by the cia and its longtime allies in israels intelligence agency, the mossad, in the international illicit drug trade. As implied evidence of cia knowledge of and participation in the drug trade, the articles emphasized the meetings between. This is a must read for every person searching for answers to why crack cocain flooded our country seemingly unbridled, into our country.
This led to a drugfuelled disaster in the innercities of america. The involvement of the united states central intelligence agency cia in cocaine trafficking in central america during the reagan administration as part of the contra war in nicaragua has been the subject of several official and journalistic investigations since the mid1980s. These events led to what is known as the crack epidemic in the united states. The threepart series by reporter gary webb linked the cia and nicaraguas contras to the crack cocaine epidemic that. Black gangs used their profits to buy automatic weapons, sometimes from one of the cia linked drug dealers. The cia was complicit, but not directly involved in the cocaine trafficking of the 1980s which led directly to the crack epidemic.
318 237 1399 1475 1373 287 1265 123 724 59 1405 759 1016 1033 472 882 951 1518 1281 779 1337 1367 213 1323 1003 1162 279 1217 1375 1447 1095