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 iran to help free hostages from. Congress passed laws that created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the possession or trafficking of crack when compared to. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. Added nonsex discrimination to their platform gay rights movement changes because of aids epidemic most likely jumped from monkeys to humans in the early 20th century introduced to u. The true story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still untold. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies. These same nicaraguans were in most cases working for the cia. Covert support for the group led to the 1986 iran contra scandal.
Blame reagan for making me into a monster blame oliver north and irancontra i ran contraband that they sponsored. Timothy alexander guzman, silent crow news the heroin epidemic resembles the days when crack cocaine became the major drug that destroyed communities across the united states and other parts of the world including the caribbean that began in the early 1980s. 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. Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of. Drug enforcement administration dea granted amnesty to and financially backed important contra supporters and fundraisers who were known to the u. Reagan declared that illicit drugs were a direct threat to u. Between 1982 and 1984, congress restricted funding for the contras, and by 1985 cut it off entirely. A reporter for the san jose mercury news proved the connection between the crack epidemic and the contras. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion. 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. 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 crack epidemic the history of crack cocaine drug. Dea intelligence analyst douglas everett told the oig that in the mid1980s, dea. The biggest surge in the use of the drug occurred during the crack epidemic, between 1984 and 1990, when the drug spread across american cities.
In 1980, pacman was introduced to the arcades, and became one of the most popular video games of all time. The reagan administrations involvement in the 1980s crack epidemic. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. The crack epidemic dramatically increased the number of americans addicted to cocaine. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward.
Al martin spelled it out in his book the conspirators how they also used straight up investment fraud to raise money for ian. Gary webb proves that at the very least the us government at the highest levels knew about and protected contra connected nicaraguans who were smuggling massive amounts of cocaine into america and more or less created and caused the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s. These events led to the crackepidemic of the late 1980s and 1990s. Consortium news record on russiagatehow cn covered the. It is one of the most highly additive and destructive drugs in the world. The 1980s are considered to be the decade when video games achieved massive popularity. The heroin epidemic resembles the days when crack cocaine became the major drug that destroyed communities across the united states and other parts of the world including the caribbean that began in the early 1980s. Gary webb, the journalist who exposed the scandal, was found dead in a hotel room with two gunshot wounds to his head. Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic. Ricky ross was apprehended after a drug sting by the dea which was organized by.
Crack cocaine, contras and the cia december 15, 2018 by 21wire leave a comment in 1996, investigative journalist gary webb discovered links between nicaraguas contra rebels and the cias cocaine drugrunning operation in the 1980s. That fbi report, part of the files of former irancontra special prosecutor lawrence walsh, was made public only last year, when it was released by the national archives at the mercury news request. There has, on the other hand, been a lot of conjecture. By 1985, cocainerelated hospital emergencies rose by 12 percent, from. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. The gary webb story confirms they traded arms for cocaine and were responsible for the us crack epidemic in the 1980s. Ross said the crack epidemic also created a different, dangerous. 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. Crack cocaine was popularized because of its affordability, its immediate euphoric effect, and its high profitability. Brian mulroney was tied to iran contra through trans world armaments in quebec and richard secord. Along with a leading role in the irancontra scandal in which north helped sell arms to iran to fund the contra war north is also said to have employed air and sea transport companies. In addition, in the mid1980s, any effort to keep the cia out of the world of drug trafficking was made more difficult by the decision of its boss, director casey, to activate what became known as. A conspiracy theory that became a conspiracy fact the cia, afghanistans poppy fields and americas growing heroin epidemic timothy alexander guzman, silent crow news the heroin epidemic resembles the days when crack cocaine became the major drug that destroyed communities across the united states and other parts of the world including the caribbean that began in the early.
The subcommittees final report, issued in 1989, said that contra drug links included. New jack city eats its young, the article was one of the first exposes of the effects of the crack epidemic on innercity communities. The cocaine that flooded in helped spark a crack explosion in urban america. The crack epidemic coincidently began around the same time when the irancontra scandal was being exposed. Did the cia play a role in launching the crackcocaine epidemic. Blandon has also implied that his cocaine sales were, for a time, ciaapproved. Congress or violated the stated public policy of the government. According to the stories, the cia and its operatives used crack cocainesold via the. North, oliver oliver north testifying at the irancontra. Cooper was a journalist for the village voice, who had received acclaim for a 1987 story about the crack epidemic in detroit titled kids killing kids. The crack epidemic coincidentally began around the same time when the irancontra scandal was being exposed. Initially the contras were a group of republican guard members from the old somoza regime ousted by the sandinistas after the revolutionary conflict.
Afghan poppy fields fuel americas growing heroin epidemic. Previous investigations concerning allegations of contra drug trafficking. President ronald reagan, who won the white house in 1980, wasnt. The cia was complicit, but not directly involved in the cocaine trafficking of the 1980s which led directly to the crack epidemic. The reagan administration, undeterred, conspired to sell arms to iran in exchange for hostages, using some of the proceeds to illegally fund the contras. 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. Unlike powder cocaine, crack was easier to develop, more cost efficient to produce, and cheaper to buy, which made it more economically accessible. 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. Colonel ollie north and barry seal are just the tip of the iceberg. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects. Retired lieutenant colonel oliver north responded to telephone callers questions on his involvement in the irancontra affair during the 1980s as well as other issues in american politics.
Although the term irancontra was initially coined to reference the scandal involving the reagan administrations illegal selling of weapons to iran to fund contra terrorists in nicaragua, the scandal is a bit more expansive than the name would suggest. According to webb in the 1980s, when the cia exerted a certain level of control over contra groups such as the nicaraguan democratic force fdn, the agency as well as the u. 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. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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. Did the cia play a role in launching the crack cocaine epidemic. Along with a leading role in the irancontra scandal in which north helped. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yesand the charge. Crack epidemic united states history 1980s britannica. Mchenry claims that the films main character, nino brown, was based on a composite of three people. Crack epidemic, the significant increase in the use of crack cocaine, or crack, in the united states during the early 1980s. The funds gained from the sale of cocaine was partially used to secretly support saddam hussain in the iraniraq war 19801988. Around the same timethe early 1980sa letter between attorney general.
Ciacontracrack cocaine controversy justice oig department. The full story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still yet to be told. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to the. The ap contracocaine story had run in december 1985, almost a year before the irancontra story broke.
Arts and humanities us history the modern era 1980present. Knowledge of drug trafficking and the contras the national security archive obtained the handwritten notebooks of oliver north, the national security council aide who helped run the contra war and other reagan administration covert operations, through a freedom of information act lawsuit filed in 1989. The method is to dissolve cocaine hydrochloride into water with sodium bicarbonate baking soda, which precipitates solid masses of cocaine crystals. It was not until 199091 that it became clear that secret u. He wrote that the huge influx of cocaine happened to come at just the time. On october 14, 1982, president ronald reagan declared a war on drugs, doublingdown on an initiative that was started by richard nixon.
While much of the ciacontradrug story had been revealed years ago in the. Made into a pariah much like gary webb, the reporter whowrote 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. The irancontra affair, also known as the irancontra scandal and irangate, may not have happened were it not for the political climate in the early 1980s. The contras also contributed to drug dealing in the us and brought a lot of crack cocaine.
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