A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of a drug. In the final analysis, the cia and its twisted sister, the mossad, and most all the nonblack players behind the scenes of the crack cocaine crisis and blueprint for genocide like heller, klein, kenner and jdl walked, profiting handsomely from complicity and conspiracy in crack cocaine trafficking. Their alleged role in the drug trade was exposed in 1996 in an explosive investigative series dark alliance by gary webb for the san jose mercury news. The cia was complicit, but not directly involved in the cocaine trafficking of the 1980s which led directly to the crack epidemic. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb.
Gary webb, the journalist who busted the cia for selling crack. The contra rebels were in full flow in nicaragua, and reportedly the cia turned a blind eye to the rebels exporting significant amounts of cocaine for funding. The cia and aids conspiracy theories printout time. Oct 10, 2014 in his report, webb who had won a pulitzer in 1989 for a different story claimed that the cia was partly responsible for bringing crack cocaine to the united states in the 1980s. Ross, 36, who, along with two other men were convicted of. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. It started when webb wrote a series of three articles for the san jose mercury news in 1996 dubbed dark alliance. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion. Any potential profits would have to go into a fund or funds to disbursed for operations as needed or directly into the us treasury. A revised version was published in 1999 that incorporated webbs response to the cia and justice department reports.
Straight outta compton, did the cia infiltrate rap music. 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. Nov 30, 2017 in 2007 an aircraft known as gulfstream ii crashed in a jungle in yucatan, mexico. 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. According to new york magazine, the contra cocaine story smugly dubbed the last great conspiracy theory of the twentieth century started with the claim by crack kingpin ricky ross that he was working with a nicaraguan cocaine supplier, oscar danilo blandon, who had ties to the contras who, in turn, had ties to the cia. According to the series, blandon was the johnny appleseed of crack in californiadistributing thousands of kilos of colombian cocaine to black dealers like ricky ross. In the early 80s, crack and cocaine ravaged neighborhoods in the u.
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 february 2000 report by the house intelligence committee in turn considered the books claims as well as the series claims. How the cia watched over the destruction of gary webb. Most of the information surrounding the cia s involvement in the crack trade came from testimony in the march drug trafficking trial of mr. A widely read newspaper series leads many americans to believe cia is guilty of at least complicity, if not conspiracy, in the outbreak of crack cocaine in americas cities. Pablo escobars son reveals his dad worked for the cia. In more extreme versions of the story circulating on talk radio and the internet, the agency was the instrument of a consistent strategy by the us government to destroy the black community and to keep black americans from advancing. Did the cia play a role in launching the crackcocaine epidemic. Chief trump tormenter maxine waters once alleged the cia. Webb spoke about the deep corruption of the cia, how they worked with drug dealers to financially support the contras, and how this fueled the crack cocaine problem in l. Crack cocaine the great conspiracy to destroy the black.
An illustration for the series that appears on the newspapers internet web site has the cias insignia superimposed over a man smoking crack and below the title, dark alliance the story. The cia, crack cocaine and the black community fcn, 12312004 one on one with. Being an agency of the us government, the cia really cant profit from any transaction,legal or illegal. The cocainecia conspiracy theory involves the fact that many of the same personnel used by the cia to smuggle arms into leftist countries in central america and south america, also made money smuggling coke, because the arms business wasnt exactly full time. Freeway ricky ross and the cia cocaine conspiracy for gq magazine, 2003 in the 80s the us government financed a dirty war by bankrolling the contras against the leftwing sandanistas of nicaragua. In 1996 the agency was accused of being a crack dealer. Contracocaine was a real conspiracy sagacious news. 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 gulfstream ii, tail number n987sa, was allegedly transporting cia. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. Sep 20, 2019 journalist gary webb was discredited for his 1996 investigative report linking the cia to crack cocaine that devastated vulnerable black neighborhoods. He also went on about how the cia and other government agencies would warn drug dealers before a raid and how they would let drug dealers with major crimes walk away with. Ricky ross was apprehended after a drug sting by the dea which was organized by blandon, after he was captured by the dea.
The drug business is very different than what we dreamed, he continues. Their role in the drug trade was exposed in 1996 in a critical investigative series dark alliance by gary webb for the san jose mercury news. It said dark alliance caused many americans to believe the cia was guilty of at least complicity, if not conspiracy in the crack cocaine outbreak in u. Many readers interpreted the series to assert that the cia and other agencies of the united states government had intentionally funneled crack cocaine into black communities by either permitting or endorsing cocaine trafficking by blandon and meneses. 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. Those african americans who bought and distributed crack cocaine and bought and used the automatic weapons that flowed at the end of the contra pipeline were themselves victims of a grand ciaorchestrated conspiracy designed to use the black community as pawns in the reagan and bush administrations attempts to dislodge the sandinistas. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u. Since the centers for disease control and prevention first reported the hivaids epidemic in 1981, rumors have persisted that the deadly virus was created by the cia to wipe out homosexuals and african americans. In this episode, chris calton explains how the potent mix of politicans and fake news created the myth of the crack baby. On kill the messenger and the ongoing legacy of gary webb in 2014, gary webbs life was memorialized in the biopic kill the messenger, which recounted the tragic turn webbs life took following his controversial series on the cia crack cocaine connection. A washington post investigation into ross, blandon, meneses and the u. In october 1998, the cia released a declassified version of hitzs twovolume report, and the cia was cleared of its alleged complicity in the spread of. Mar 21, 2015 it said dark alliance caused many americans to believe the cia was guilty of at least complicity, if not conspiracy in the crack cocaine outbreak in u.
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. First exposed by webb in 1996 in the san jose mercury news, and then fleshed out in his book, dark alliance, the allegations are not based on a jumble of spurious and imagined connections, but on a strong and plausible chain of evidence. The series claimed to have traced the crack cocaine explosion to two nicaraguan cocaine dealers, oscar danilo blandon reyes and norwin meneses cantarero. Sep 25, 2014 a widely read newspaper series leads many americans to believe cia is guilty of at least complicity, if not conspiracy, in the outbreak of crack cocaine in americas cities. Hello reddit, i was doing a little research on the crack epidemic of the 1980s and from what i read the cia introduce crack cocaine to the u. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. The cia cocainefilled plane that crashed in mexico top. In 1996, san jose mercury news writer gary webb published a story saying that the cia was complicit in selling cocaine to l. Conspiracy theorists still believe, however, that the government agency did in fact bring the crack epidemic to black communities and their denials have. Further, these contra financiers allegedly delivered cocaine on a cutrate basis to ricky donnell ross, a south central crack dealer, who turned the cocaine into crack and sold it wholesale.
If the cia trafficking cocaine into the united states sounds like some tin foil conspiracy theory, think again. Cia developed crack to kill off blacks the conspiracy blog. During the 1980s, the war on drugs became defined by cocaine and crack. Freeway ricky ross and the cia cocaine conspiracy sanjiv b. 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.
A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yes. The ciacontracrack conspiracy, however, deserves an upgrade. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb found the big onethe blockbuster story every journalist secretly dreams aboutwithout even looking for it. Contracocaine was a real conspiracy consortiumnews. The subject of todays hearings involves the allegations of cia in volvement in the u. Others however argued that this is not true and that its some. According to new york magazine, the contracocaine story smugly dubbed the last great conspiracy theory of the twentieth century started with the claim by crack kingpin ricky ross that he was working with a nicaraguan cocaine supplier, oscar danilo blandon, who had ties to the contras who, in turn, had ties to the cia. A simple phone call concerning an unexceptional pending drug trial turned into a massive conspiracy involving the nicaraguan contra rebels, l. The cocaine cia conspiracy theory involves the fact that many of the same personnel used by the cia to smuggle arms into leftist countries in central america and south america, also made money smuggling coke, because the arms business wasnt exactly full time. As the land border became more tightly controlled, cocaine would be shipped via the caribbean and the bahamas and end up in miami. There has, on the other hand, been a lot of conjecture.
Even today, the conspiracy theory has a number of highprofile believers. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum. 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. 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. A complete history of crack cocaine drug rehab options. Cnn cia admits it overlooked contras links to drugs. Aug 30, 2012 in october 1998, the cia released a declassified version of hitzs twovolume report, and the cia was cleared of its alleged complicity in the spread of crackcocaine in to the innercities. Now some members of the black community, relying on a series last summer in the san jose mercury news, point at the cia because smugglers tied to. A widely read newspaper series leads many americans to believe cia is guilty of at least complicity, if not conspiracy, in the outbreak of crack cocaine in americas inner cities. In his report, webb who had won a pulitzer in 1989 for a different story claimed that the cia was partly responsible for bringing crack cocaine to the united states in the 1980s. May 01, 2004 trained, and financed in part by the cia, sold cocaine in the united states through freeway ricky ross and funneled profits back to the contras.
Others however argued that this is not true and that its some sort of liberal agenda to demonize reagans term. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. Secret ties between cia, drugs revealed the final call. In the 1980s and 1990s, waters aggressively pushed a nowdebunked conspiracy theory that the cia was behind the flow of crack cocaine into americas cities. Amongst webbs fundamental problems was his implication that the cia lit the crack cocaine fuse. His articles asserted that the cia was aware of the cocaine.
Apr 26, 2017 if the cia trafficking cocaine into the united states sounds like some tin foil conspiracy theory, think again. Both, it was argued, were involved with financing the frente democratica nicaraguense fdn, the largest of several cia funded and trained anticommunist groups commonly known as the contras. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies. In october 1998, the cia released a declassified version of hitzs twovolume report, and the cia was cleared of its alleged complicity in the spread of crackcocaine in to the innercities. To help fund their campaign, the cia allowed rebels to flood american cities with crack cocaine, with the help of street dealers like las freeway rick.
Conspiracy theories can often ring true the washington post. Oct 18, 2017 during the 1980s, the war on drugs became defined by cocaine and crack. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic. In 1996 gary webb wrote a series of articles published in the san jose mercury news, which investigated nicaraguans linked to the cia backed contras who had smuggled cocaine into the u. Mainstream media finally exposes cia drug trafficking. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. In october 1998, the cia released a declassified version of hitzs twovolume report, and the cia was cleared of its alleged complicity in the spread of crack cocaine in to the innercities. Dec 31, 2004 crack, the cia and black americas drug crisis. In his report, webb who had won a pulitzer in 1989 for a different story claimed that the cia was partly responsible for bringing crack cocaine to. Here are 10 things to know about gary webb and his report that linked the cia to crack cocaine. What the cia was doing was buying the controls to get the drug into.