Background on united states funding of the contras in examining the allegations in the mercury news and elsewhere, it is important to understand the timing of funding of the contras by the united states. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u. If hollywood gets the story right, it will be a dark and enlightening tale. 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. Contra affair was two different affairs intermingled together. 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 throughout the united states. An investigative journalist, gary webb became interested in the covert activities of the central intelligence agency. Us department of justice doj report released july 23, 1998. The series discussed drug rings in california and their alleged connections to the central intelligence agency ciabacked nicaraguan contra resistance in the 1980s. Despite critics, a good story crack and the contras. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. Central intelligence agency 19972000 san jose mercury news story on contras and crack. The controversy over possible cia or other official u.
Freeway rick ross on how he introduced crack to the u. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion webb, gary, waters, maxine on. On july 23, 1998 the department of justices office of inspector general released its long awaited report, entitled the ciacontracrack cocaine controversy. If youve heard about the ciacontracrack allegations, its probably because of gary webb, who in.
How the cia watched over the destruction of gary webb. At times, the mercury news sent conflicting messages that confounded attempts to correct misconceptions about the article. Blandon and meneses were said to have used their drug trafficking profits to help fund the contra armys war effort. By nick schou, nick schou is an editor for oc weekly. Cnn cia admits it overlooked contras links to drugs. How the cias crackcocaine controversy destroyed journalist gary webb, will be published in october. The articles also implied that the pursuit of the foreign policy to aid the contras resulted in the manipulation of the judicial system, the protection of certain people by the cia, and the failure of the department of justice to investigate and prosecute substantial drug traffickers. A look at the twisted history of the ciacontracocaine story. Allegation that blandon received special treatment in the 1992 san diego prosecution of him the allegations that law enforcement authorities, at the behest of the cia and others, intentionally protected blandon go beyond the unsuccessful lasd and ocdetf cases and extend to the case in which a federal prosecution was actually brought against him in 1992. Cia and contras cocaine trafficking in the us military. The definitive story of the birth of the crack plague, told by the man at the epicenter of the ciacontracocaine connection. 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. Oig analysis of allegations regarding blandons and meneses relationship with the contras and the cia v.
Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. Jack blum is the former special counsel to the senate foreign relations subcommittee on terrorism, narcotics and international operations. Report of investigation by the cia the ciacontracrack cocaine controversy by the doj. There are a few manuscripts, which deals with the issue. And having shown itself still unwilling to follow the leads and lay the story to rest, the press faces a challenge in the contracocaine matter not unlike the governments. The scope of the irancontra affair is too large for one person to describe, and for this reason my focus is on the cocaine issue. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum. Gary stephen webb august 31, 1955 december 10, 2004 was an american investigative journalist. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. Zeke black ciacontracrack cocaine, aids controversy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dark alliance.
Webb created a great of controversy when in 1996 he wrote a series of articles claiming that supporters of a ciabacked guerrilla army in nicaragua helped trigger americas crackcocaine epidemic in the 1980s. 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. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. The subject of todays hearings involves the allegations of cia in volvement in the u. In the film, gary webb jeremy renner is cryptically warned by a washington insider, theyll make you the story, and that, more than the ciacontracocaine controversy itself, is what the book and movie are about. The ciacontra story can only feed longstanding rumors in black communities that the u. Crack cocaine users were fuelling the demand for crack cocaine, encouraging the violence and other criminal activities that went along with producing and distributing crack. In august 1996, the san jose mercury news published a threepart series of articles entitled dark alliance. He began his career working for newspapers in kentucky and ohio, winning numerous awards, and building a strong reputation for investigative writing. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The press did not begin reporting on the issue of crack cocaine until 1984, but those articles suggested that the mounting crack problem had existed prior to that time.
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. The ciacontracrack connection, 10 years later reporter gary webb was the victim of his own hyperbole, but he never got credit for what he got right. Other government reports central intelligence agency. During the korean war, the first allegations of cia drug trafficking surfaced after 1949. 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. 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. By sam parry despite denigration by several national newspapers, the controversy over the. Starring jeremy renner as the late gary webb, the movie of webbs investigation of the cias contracocaine scandal and of webbs destruction by mainstream news outlets is set to begin filming this summer. Crack cocaine was an issue in the irancontra scandal, where the us was selling arms to people in iran, and using the money to fund nicaraguan rebels, called contras. Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic. While the newspaper was disavowing allegations of cia involvement in the spread of crack, the articles author was making public comments to the contrary. The storm over dark alliance national security archive. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia.
The allegations contained a volatile mixture, linking the activities of the cia, the nicaraguan contras, and the crack explosion. Ciacontracrack cocaine controversy executive summary. Oig analysis of allegations regarding blandons and meneses relationship with the contras and the cia. Technically, schous biography squeaked off the press at the end of 2006, but it was 2007 before it garnered much attention in the jubilant crowing of the alternative media and a few mea culpas from the mainstream newspapers who shunned gary webb ending his career and eventually driving his 2004 suicide, after he broke the story of ciabacked nicaraguans. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion gary.
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. The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion kindle edition by webb, gary, waters, maxine. The cia, the contras and the crack cocaine explosion detailing his own reporting. Us concedes contras linked to drugs, but denies leadership. The associated press first reported those alleged ties last december in an article that quoted u.
It started when webb wrote a series of three articles for the san jose mercury news in 1996 dubbed dark alliance. His story defies all odds and proves that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Ciacontracrack cocaine controversy table of contents. The next year, he published a book titled dark alliance. Cia contra manual the central intelligence agency s freedom fighters manual has to be one of the most released. Eighteen years after it was published, dark alliance, the san jose mercury newss bombshell investigation into links between the cocaine.