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Cia contras crack cocaine { September 19 1998 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.house.gov/waters/ciareportwww.htmhttp://www.house.gov/waters/ciareportwww.htm
September 19, 1998
The CIA, The Contras & Crack Cocaine:
Investigating the Official Reports
Seeking The Truth
Like many leaders in the African American community, I was stunned, but not surprised, when I read the Dark Alliance series in the San Jose Mercury News by Gary Webb two years ago. I had been to countless meetings throughout South Central Los Angeles during the 1980s and was consistently asked by my constituents "where are all the drugs coming from?" In inner cities and rural towns throughout the nation, we have witnessed the wreckage caused by the drug trade - the ruined lives and lost possibilities of so many who got caught up in selling drugs, went to prison, ended up addicted, dead, or walking zombies from drugs.
As I wrote in Gary Webb's book, when I read the series I asked myself whether it was possible for such a vast amount of drugs to be smuggled into any community under the noses of the police, sheriff's department, FBI, DEA, and other law enforcement agencies. My investigation has led me to an undeniable conclusion - that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies knew about drug trafficking in South Central Los Angeles and throughout the U.S. - and they let the dealing go on.
Robert Parry and Brian Barger first broke the shocking story of Contra involvement in drug trafficking in 1985, at the height of the Contra war against Nicaragua. As a result of this story's revelations, Senator John Kerry conducted a two year Senate probe into the allegations and published the sub-committee's devastating findings in an 1,166-page report in 1989. Among its many findings the Kerry Report found,
"individuals who provided support for the contras were involved in drug trafficking, the supply network of the contras was used by drug trafficking organizations, and elements of the contras themselves knowingly received financial and material assistance from drug traffickers. In each case, one or another agency of the U.S. government had information regarding the involvement either while it was occurring, or immediately thereafter."
Remarkably, the Committee's findings went virtually unreported when they were released.
Then in August 1996 Gary Webb published his explosive series in the San Jose Mercury News. It resulted in a firestorm of anger and outrage in the Black community and throughout the nation. Here was evidence that, while the nation was being told of a national "war on drugs" by the Reagan Administration, our anti-drug intelligence apparatus was actually aiding the drug lords in getting their deadly product into the U.S.The resulting grassroots outrage put tremendous pressure on the CIA, the Department of Justice and Congress to investigate the matter and report the truth. The Inspectors General of the CIA and Department of Justice were forced to conduct investigations and publish reports on the allegations. The DOJ's Report and Volume I of the CIA's Report published brief executive summaries that concluded that the allegations made in the Mercury News could not be substantiated. However, both Reports, and in particular the DOJ Report, are filled with evidence that contradicts their own conclusions and confirms all of the basic allegations.
Quite unexpectedly, on April 30, 1998, I obtained a secret 1982 Memorandum of Understanding between the CIA and the Department of Justice, that allowed drug trafficking by CIA assets, agents, and contractors to go unreported to federal law enforcement agencies. I also received correspondence between then Attorney General William French Smith and the head of the CIA, William Casey, that spelled out their intent to protect drug traffickers on the CIA payroll from being reported to federal law enforcement.
Then on July 17, 1998 the New York Times ran this amazing front page CIA admission:
"CIA Says It Used Nicaraguan Rebels Accused of Drug Tie."
"[T]he Central Intelligence Agency continued to work with about two dozen Nicaraguan rebels and their supporters during the 1980s despite allegations that they were trafficking in drugs.... [T]he agency's decision to keep those paid agents, or to continue dealing with them in some less formal relationship, was made by top [CIA] officials at headquarters in Langley, Va.". (emphasis added)
This front page confirmation of CIA involvement with Contra drug traffickers came from a leak of the still classified CIA Volume II internal review, described by sources as full of devastating revelations of CIA involvement with known Contra drug traffickers.
The CIA had always vehemently denied any connection to drug traffickers and the massive global drug trade, despite over ten years of documented reports. But in a shocking reversal, the CIA finally admitted that it was CIA policy to keep Contra drug traffickers on the CIA payroll.
My investigation of these official reports highlights their damning admissions. You can find a complete set of excerpts from the Department of Justice Report, compiled by Gary Webb, with the assistance of my staff at the end of this Report.
The facts speak for themselves.
Maxine Waters
Member of Congress
A Smoking Gun Document
In February of 1982 the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Casey, and Attorney General William French Smith entered into a secret Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allowed CIA assets who were involved in drug smuggling to escape from legal reporting requirements to the federal law enforcement agencies.
This secret agreement detailed a long list of crimes which the CIA was required to disclose to federal law enforcement agencies including homicide, kidnapping, assault, bribery, possession of firearms, as well as illegal immigration, election contributions, and perjury. Amazingly, this MOU did not require the CIA to report drug trafficking or other drug law violations by CIA assets to the Department of Justice.
In other words, CIA assets who were smuggling narcotics, even into the United States, did not have to worry about being reported to the DEA or other federal law enforcement agencies.
The timing of the Memorandum of Understanding was as remarkable as its contents. Prior to 1982, an Executive Order existed which required that drug trafficking and related crimes by CIA assets and agents be reported. Then in late 1981, President Reagan authorized covert aid for the Contras by the CIA. Only two months later, the CIA and the Attorney General carved out an exemption for CIA assets and agents that were dealing drugs in a new Memorandum of Understanding.
The secret MOU was in effect for 13 years - from 1982 until 1995. This covered the entire Contra war in Nicaragua and the era of deep U.S. involvement in counterinsurgency activities in El Salvador and Central America.
The MOU was evidently very successful in protecting these drug traffickers and CIA assets. Based on statements in Michael Bromwich's recently released investigation, the CIA Station Chief for Central America, Alan Fiers, said he recalled of only one instance when the CIA passed Contra and narcotics-related information to the DEA.
The Kerry Committee was baffled by the lack of intelligence reporting of drug trafficking activity. Despite finding widespread trafficking through the war zones of northern Costa Rica, the Kerry Committee was unable to find a single case that was made on the basis of a tip or report by an official of a U.S. intelligence agency.
The reason is now clear. The CIA knew of their drug trafficking, but the MOU protected them from having to report it to law enforcement.
The 1982 MOU that exempted the reporting requirement for drug trafficking was no oversight or misstatement. A remarkable series of letters between the Attorney General and the Director of Central Intelligence show how conscious and deliberate this exemption was.
On February 11, 1982 Attorney General William French Smith wrote to Director of Central Intelligence William Casey that,
"I have been advised that a question arose regarding the need to add narcotics violations to the list of reportable non-employee crimes ... [N]o formal requirement regarding the reporting of narcotics violations has been included in these procedures."
On March 2, 1982 Casey responded happily,
"I am pleased that these procedures, which I believe strike the proper balance between enforcement of the law and protection of intelligence sources and methods..."
Simply stated, the Attorney General consciously exempted reporting requirements for narcotics violations by CIA agents, assets, and contractors. And the Director of Central Intelligence was pleased because intelligence sources and methods involved in narcotics trafficking could be protected from law enforcement.
The 1982 MOU agreement clearly violated the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949. It also raised the possibility that certain individuals who testified in front of Congressional investigating committees perjured themselves.
The facts detailed in the Department of Justice Report show the significance of the 1982 Memorandum of Understanding. Among others, drug kingpins and Contra members Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandon, senior Contra political leader Adolfo Calero, and Contra military commander Enrique Bermudez were directly, and explicitly, protected from being reported to federal law enforcement authorities under this MOU because of their formal association with the CIA as assets, agents and/or contractors.
Many questions remain unanswered. However, one thing is clear - the CIA and the Attorney General successfully engineered legal protection for the drug trafficking activities of any of its agents or assets.
The Official Reports
The DOJ Releases its Long Awaited Report, the CIA Keeps its Classified
On July 23, 1998 the Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General released its long awaited Report, entitled "The CIA-Contra-Crack Cocaine Controversy: A Review of the Justice Department's Investigations and Prosecutions." However, the Report highlighted misleading headlines and conclusions in its Executive Summary, diverting attention from many of the crucial findings in the body of the DOJ Inspector General's Report.
Most of the CIA Inspector General's Report remains classified, and the CIA refuses to make any commitment to its public release. In January, the CIA's IG released a declassified version of the first part of its investigation, entitled "Volume I: The California Story." But, a longer, more complete version of Volume I, and all of Volume II, remain classified. Like the DOJ IG's Report, the CIA's Report highlighted misleading conclusions in a peculiar Executive Summary, that failed to reflect the facts buried in the body of the Report.
But both Reports, in particular the Department of Justice's Report, were full of damaging admissions, documents, and cables confirming all the essential elements of the story.
The Department of Justice Report - Conclusions Don't Fit the Facts
Michael Bromwich, the Inspector General for the Department of Justice, released the Report of his investigation in July 1998, seven months after Mr. Bromwich signed off on the completed Report. The Attorney General originally refused to have it released in December 1997 citing "law enforcement" concerns.
The Report released by DOJ Inspector General Michael Bromwich was quite revealing. The Report detailed new facts and expanded upon information that had only been alluded to in the CIA Inspector General's Volume I report released in January 1998.
The Confusing Conclusions
The Report of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice made sweeping conclusions that were quickly picked up by most of the press covering the story. Summing up the entire investigation, the DOJ's IG brushed aside the volumes of evidence in one succinct sentence stating,
"In short, our review did not substantiate the main allegations stated and implied in the Mercury News articles." Executive Summary, page 3.
However, the Executive Summary also stated importantly that "[w]e believe our entire report should be read for a fuller and fairer understanding of the results of our inquiry."
In fact, much of the initial press coverage was confused about the actual contents of the report. The cause of the confusion, in plain terms, is that the conclusions of the Report contradict the facts detailed throughout its 407 pages and appendixes.
A careful, complete reading of the DOJ Report reveals damaging facts tying the CIA to Contra drug traffickers. These facts, which are buried throughout the DOJ Report, contradict the IG's conclusions that the Dark Alliance's allegations could not be substantiated.
The Buried Facts
Some of the most misleading conclusions in the DOJ IG's Report were broadly reported by the press at the time of the Report's release. But, a careful reading of the entire Report shows how misleading the conclusions were.
Misleading Conclusion
In the Executive Summary the Report downplayed the connections of the biggest drug dealers in the articles, Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandon, to the Contras stating,
"[w]e believe, based on the evidence we gathered, that their role in the Contras was marginal. (ES, p11).
Facts that Contradict
But the body of the Report offers clear contradictory evidence. For example the IG reported,
"Pena stated that both Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandon told him they were also raising money for the Contras through drug dealing and that Blandon stated that the Contras would not have been able to operate without drug proceeds. Norwin Meneses allegedly told Pena that Contra leader Enrique Bermudez was aware of the drug dealing." (ChIV, Pt2)
Misleading Conclusion
The claims alleging CIA ties to Contra drug traffickers were the most vehemently denied by U.S. intelligence agencies. The DOJ IG's Report definitively stated that,
"the implication that the drug trafficking by the individuals discussed in the Mercury News articles was connected to the CIA was … not supported by the facts.", (Ex.Sum., pg4).
Facts that Contradict
Yet the body of the Report included numerous contradictions including,
"When debriefed by the DEA in the early 1980s, [drug trafficker Renato] Pena said that the CIA was allowing the Contras to fly drugs into the United States, sell them, and keep the proceeds." (ChIV, Pt2).
Misleading Conclusion
The Executive Summary attempted to specifically distance the CIA from the main characters in the Dark Alliance story as well stating,
"Our investigation found no evidence reflecting either Blandon or Meneses was in fact connected to the CIA." (Ex.Sum., pg11).
Facts that Contradict
Yet in Chapter III the Report states,
"It is … believed by the FBI, SF, that Norwin Meneses was and still may be, an informant for the Central Intelligence Agency." (ChIII, Pt2).
In fact, the main allegations of the Mercury News articles, as reported, were substantiated by the facts throughout the DOJ report.
Of course, neither the CIA, nor the DOJ disputed the fact that Rickie Ross was a major crack cocaine dealer in South Central Los Angeles, later spreading to other cities. Nor was there any serious dispute that Blandon and Meneses were selling huge quantities of drugs to Ross in South Central Los Angeles.
The Department of Justice's Report tied the drug ring to the Contras and the CIA. In particular the Report confirmed that:
Meneses, Blandon and other drug traffickers were part of the Contra movement and tied to Contra leaders; drug profits that were laundered by the Meneses-Blandon operation and sent to the Contras; Meneses, and Blandon were assets of the CIA; and the Meneses-Blandon operation trafficked arms to the Contras and others in Central America.
In short, the DOJ IG's conclusions which distanced the CIA and the Contras from the Meneses-Blandon drug trafficking network were disproved by the Report's own evidence.
Fifteen of the Most Telling Facts in the DOJ Report1. "According to (FBI agent) Aukland's report, LA CI-1 reported further that Blandon and Meneses were founding members of the FDN, a wing of the Contra movement headed by Calero and that Blandon and Meneses used their drug profits to help fund the FDN."(ChII, Pt1)
2. "Even before the term Contra was being used, LA CI-1 reported that there were meetings of 'anti-Sandinistas' at Meneses' house which were attended by politicians, Somocistas and other exiles interested in starting a counter- revolutionary movement. Meneses told of meeting with Col. Enrique Bermudez... (ChIV, Pt2)
3. "(FBI agent) Hale said he had three informants willing to testify against Meneses...the informants had 'indicated that Meneses, a Nicaraguan, deals in cocaine with both the Sandinista and Contra political factions in Nicaragua." (ChII, Pt1)
4. "Meneses told Blandon that he would give Blandon cocaine and teach Blandon how to sell it, and they would send the profits to the Contra revolution." (ChII, Pt1)
5. "Blandon told us that the initial profits he and Meneses made in drug trafficking went to the Contras." (ChIV, Pt2)
6. "Little Brother: These are the bank statements of the suppliers of the Contra. They have issued checks to different persons and companies, the same to the Cayman Islands..... Blessings, Leysla" [Balladares] "Balladares [Blandon's sister] added that she was a member of the FDN." (ChIV, Pt2)
7. "Blandon said [to Balladares] 'we were fighting for something that is good and they were making money for that'" (ChIV, Pt2)
8. "[T]he DEA in San Francisco did note the following facts: a defendant arrested in a DEA investigation, Renato Pena, had listed his profession as a volunteer worker for the FDN and had asked a confidential informant to meet him at the FDN office on one occasion; a defendant in the Frogman case had made 51 telephone calls to the FDN office in San Francisco; and Norwin Meneses had offered to provide the DEA with information about Nicaraguans involved in cocaine trafficking in Los Angeles for the benefit of the Sandanista government." (ChI, PtE)
9. "Jairo Meneses allegedly told Pena that the drugs were being sold to raise money for the Contras...Pena stated that both Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandon told him they were also raising money for the Contras through drug dealing and that Blandon stated that the Contras would not have been able to operate without drug proceeds. Norwin Meneses allegedly told Pena that Contra leader Enrique Bermudez was aware of the drug dealing." (ChIV, Pt2)
10. "When asked why Aureliano would appoint Pena to another position when he was suspected of drug trafficking, Pena attributed this to the fact that Meneses was on such good terms with Bermudez, who Pena said was a 'CIA agent'...because Norwin Meneses kept in good contact with Bermudez, Pena "believes the CIA knows about all these things"...Pena stated his belief that the CIA decided to recruit Meneses so that drug sales could be used to support the Contras; Bermudez could not have recruited Meneses on his own, according to Pena, but would have had to 'follow orders." (ChIV, Pt2)
11. "According to Blandon, in 1982 he flew with Meneses to Central America to meet with drug dealers and purchase drugs. While in Honduras, they also met with Enrique Bermudez, the leader of the FDN, and discussed the FDN's financial problems. Bermudez said the Contras in Honduras had little money and needed funds for supplies… Bermudez said to Blandon and Meneses during the conversation that "the end justifies the means." (ChII, PtA)
12. "According to Source 1, Cabezas and Zavala were helping the Contras with drug money. Horacio Pereira and Fernando Sanchez also claimed that they were taking the money to help the Contras...In order to get cocaine from Sanchez and a man named 'Rayo,' Zavala and Cabezas had to agree to give 50 percent of their profits to the Contras."...Fernando Sanchez "functioned as the representative for all Contras in Guatemala (and) said that he had a direct CIA contact in Guatemala -- a man named Castelairo - and noted that his brother Aristides also had CIA links, some of whom Sanchez had met socially at Aristides' house in Miami." (ChIX, Pt1) The OIG reports that the source of this information, Source 1, "was a CIA asset prior to his work with the FBI."
13. "On August 25, 1982, Francisco Zavala advised Source 1 of his belief that Adolfo Calero and the individual for whom Zavala was working in New Orleans were in cocaine...Source 1 had previously reported on June 22, 1982 that "Adolfo Calero lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, and that he is definitely involved in cocaine traffic." (ChIX, Pt1)
14. "Aff. further reported that Wenig had placed Gordon in contact with an informant who said that Blandon was a Contra sympathizer and founder of the FDN and that "[t]he money and arms generated by this organization comes thru [sic] the sales of cocaine." This informant was said to have provided one hundred names of persons involved with the distribution of cocaine, all of whom were either Nicaraguan and/or sympathizers to the Contra movement." (ChII, ptE1)
15. "On Feb. 3, 1987, the Los Angeles FBI received information from an informant that Lister had told an unidentified neighbor over drinks that he worked for Oliver North and Secord and had sent arms shipments to the Contras." (ChV, Pt1).
Key findings of the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics and International Operations 1989 investigation on "Drugs, Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy":
Drug traffickers used the Contra war and their ties to the Contras as a cover for their criminal enterprises in Honduras and Costa Rica. Assistance from the drug lords was crucial to the Contras, and the traffickers in turn promoted and protected their operations by associating with the Contra movement.
Drug traffickers provided support to the Contras and used the supply network of the Contras. Contras knowingly received both financial and material assistance from the drug traffickers.
In each case, one or another U.S. Government agency had information regarding these matters either while they were occurring, or immediately thereafter.
Members of the Contra movement were involved in drug trafficking, including pilots who flew supplies for the Contras, mercenaries who worked for the Contras and Contra supporters throughout Central America.
Drug traffickers helped in the Contra supply operations through business relations with Contra groups.
Drug traffickers contributed cash, weapons, planes, pilots, air supply services and other materials to the Contras.
U.S. State Department funds, authorized by Congress for humanitarian assistance, was paid to drug traffickers. In some cases, these drug traffickers received the State Department funds, after having been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, and in other cases, were the subject of pending investigations by those agencies.
The FDN Contra group moved Contra funds through a narcotics drug trafficking and money laundering operation.
Drug trafficking for the Contra movement was done by some because they were told that their actions were either on behalf of, or sanctioned by, the U.S. Government.
Epilogue: In Their Own Words
The Contra Connections 1979-1986
The ties between the Meneses-Blandon operation and the Contras were so numerous and deep that all official investigations were forced to acknowledge the connections.
Los Angeles
"Blandon told us that in 1980 or 1981 he became involved with the Contra movement in Los Angeles...In approximately 1980 or 1981, Col. Enrique Bermudez, a leader of the Contra group called "FDN" visited Los Angeles and the informal group then affiliated itself with the FDN." (ChII, Pt1)
Meneses told the OIG that after he and Blandon reunited in the United States after the revolution "Blandon helped assist the Contras." (ChIV, Pt2)
"In late 1981 or early 1982, the agent received a phone call from Norwin Meneses...Norwin stated he was living in Los Angeles and traveling frequently to Central America 'where he was involved in the revolution to overthrow the Nicaraguan government.'" (ChIII, Pt2)
"According to (FBI agent) Aukland's report, LA CI-1 reported further that Blandon and Meneses were founding members of the FDN, a wing of the Contra movement headed by Calero and that Blandon and Meneses used their drug profits to help fund the FDN." (ChII, Pt1)
Ivan Torres, an associate of Blandon, "was a functionary of the FDN." (ChIV, Pt2)
"DEA CI-1 noted that, according to Torres, Meneses and Blandon, Torres was the head of the West Coast branch of the FDN, which was supplying the Contras with weapons." (ChII, Pt4)
"Ivan Torres was said to claim that he spoke regularly with FBI agents regarding his FDN activities and that he was kept aware of any police investigations against Blandon and himself." (ChII, Pt5)
"Ivan Torres claims to be in contact with FBI and CIA representatives as a result of his involvement with the FDN. He claims to have been trained by the CIA in San Bernardino in an area made to resemble Nicaraguan terrain. 1987 debriefing of DEA informant. (ChII, Pt4)
"We interviewed (Carlos) Rocha...he said that he had met Blandon in 1981 through the FDN in Los Angeles." (ChII, Pt4)
"Carlos Rocha, who said he worked for Danilo Blandon as a driver from 1985 to 1987, was involved in various FDN activities in Los Angeles." (ChIV, Pt2)
"In 1982 the Los Angeles FDN held a fundraising fiesta. Although Blandon fronted money for the party, it was the only money Rocha recalled that Blandon ever gave to the FDN and it was repaid." (ChIV, Pt2)
"In the early 1980s, [Lister] met Blandon in Los Angeles and trafficked drugs with Blandon's organization. Through Blandon, Lister attempted to sell weapons to the Contras. (Ex.Sum. p12)
"[T]he Rolodex from Blandon's car dealership lists a number for Eden Pastora in Costa Rica. Blandon admitted that Pastora was a friend of his and that he gave support to Pastora...." (ChIV, PtA3, p156)
"Along with LASD deputies, DEA Special Agent Hector Berrellez (now retired) participated in the search of the residence of Roberto Aguilar. The supplementary report filed by the LASD covering this search stated that the deputies seized paperwork and photographs and listed the seized evidence as 'Misc. paperwork & utility bill; personal letter address to Roberto Aguilar, misc. photographs.' When we interviewed Berrellez, he said there was a safe at the house, which the occupants were told to open. Inside, Berrellez found a box containing photographs and ledgers typical of those that big drug dealers keep. Berrellez said the photographs were of men in military uniforms and military operations. He said he specifically remembered a photograph of a man in an aviator's flight suit standing before a war plane and holding an automatic weapon."(ChII, PtE2b, p41)
San Francisco
"Even before the term Contra was being used, LA CI-1 reported that there were meetings of 'anti-Sandinistas' at Meneses' house which were attended by politicians, Somocistas and other exiles interested in starting a counter- revolutionary movement. Meneses told of meeting with Col. Enrique Bermudez... (ChIV, Pt2)
"In the early 1980s, (Meneses) attended Contra meetings in San Francisco, and gave some contributions to the Contra cause, occasionally calling himself a 'revolutionary' who was fighting to get his country back." (ChIII, Pt1)
"According to Blandon, in 1982 he flew with Meneses to Central America to meet with drug dealers and purchase drugs. While in Honduras, they also met with Enrique Bermudez, the leader of the FDN, and discussed the FDN's financial problems. Bermudez said the Contras in Honduras had little money and needed funds for supplies… Bermudez said to Blandon and Meneses during the conversation that "the end justifies the means." (ChII, PtA, p29)
"Blandon also told us that during his trip to Honduras, he was carrying $100,000 for Meneses, to be used to purchase drugs from a big dealer in Bolivia. But when they were leaving Honduras, the police caught them with the money and confiscated it. Blandon later saw someone connected with the FDN, who went to the police and said that the money was for the Contras." (ChII, PtA, p29, fn6)
"Blandon had traveled to Miami for a conference in support of the Nicaraguan Contras and, while there, had visited two Nicaraguans who the [DEA source] believed were involved in cocaine trafficking. (ChII, PtB, p30)
FBI special agent W. Gordon Gibler "said he had heard that members of the group, including Jairo Meneses and Renato Pena, were active Contra supporters." (ChIV, Pt1)
Renato "Pena said that in early 1981, he met Norwin Meneses at a meeting of the Nicaraguan Contras in San Francisco." (ChIII, Pt1)
San Francisco FDN official Tony Navarro "once met Danilo Blandon at a large FDN meeting held in Navarro's shop in San Francisco." (ChIV, Pt2)
Blandon's sister, Leysla Balladares, "added that she was a member of the FDN, but that her only involvement was assisting in the humanitarian effort. She explained that she did participate in 'fundraising' in San Francisco..." (ChIV, Pt1)
(FBI agent) Hale said he had three informants willing to testify against Meneses...the informants had 'indicated that Meneses, a Nicaraguan, deals in cocaine with both the Sandinista and Contra political factions in Nicaragua." (ChII, Pt1)
FDN leader Adolfo "Calero told the OIG that he believed that he visited Norwin Meneses' house in San Francisco on one occasion between 1985 and 1987 and that the picture of Meneses, himself and others might have been taken there." (ChIV, Pt2)
"Norwin Meneses, another Contra supporter who engaged in significant drug trafficking in California, primarily in the San Francisco area. (Ex.Sum. p7)
"Indeed, it appears that he established contacts and dealt drugs with both sides in the Contra war" (Ex.Sum. p7)
"[T]he DEA in San Francisco did note the following facts: a defendant arrested in a DEA investigation, Renato Pena, had listed his profession as a volunteer worker for the FDN and had asked a confidential informant to meet him at the FDN office on one occasion; a defendant in the Frogman case had made 51 telephone calls to the FDN office in San Francisco; and Norwin Meneses had offered to provide the DEA with information about Nicaraguans involved in cocaine trafficking in Los Angeles for the benefit of the Sandanista government." (ChI, PtE, p17)
"Aff. further reported that Wenig had placed Gordon in contact with an informant who said that Blandon was a Contra sympathizer and founder of the FDN and that "[t]he money and arms generated by this organization comes thru [sic] the sales of cocaine." This informant was said to have provided one hundred names of persons involved with the distribution of cocaine, all of whom were either Nicaraguan and/or sympathizers to the Contra movement." (ChII, PtE1, p36)
Miami
"Meneses and Blandon also traveled to Miami, apparently to ingratiate themselves with the FDN leadership." (ChIV, Pt2)
El Salvador
"The subsource was at a party of (Salvadoran air force) officers when the subject of General Bustillo's investigation came up. An officer had declared that the whole investigation was a ploy to throw the DEA off the trail while the Salvadoran Air Force and the CIA ran large shipments of cocaine through the air bases at La Union and San Miguel in El Salvador for the purpose of obtaining money for the Contras." (ChX, Pt3)
Contra Drug Money, 1980-86.
The DOJ Report documented the financial support that the Meneses-Blandon operation gave to the Contras. However, the money laundering part of the Meneses/Blandon/Ross drug trafficking network remains almost completely unexamined. Bank records and the paper trail associated with money laundering were not pursued by any of the official investigations. Evidence about the nature of the laundering operation came out nonetheless.
From Blandon's L.A. operation:
"Meneses told Blandon that he would give Blandon cocaine and teach Blandon how to sell it, and they would send the profits to the Contra revolution." (ChII, Pt1)
"(FBI agent) Aukland told the OIG that although LA CI-1 said he did not know how much Blandon had contributed to the FDN, he thought that Blandon had originally started dealing drugs so that he could support the Contras." (ChII, Pt1)
"Blandon told us that the initial profits he and Meneses made in drug trafficking went to the Contras." (ChIV, Pt2)
"A summary of one of (LA CI-1's) debriefings by the FBI stated that ARDE Contra leader Eden 'Pastora was seeking cocaine funds from Blandon to fund Contra operations.' " (ChIV, Pt2)
"Pastora came up in 1985 as he received cash from Danilo for the Contra causes of ARDE group in Costa Rica and L.A. They are purposely staying away from anyone who might be connected with the Agency, like Pastora. They would like me to tell them who they can't get because of a national security block. They are extremely afraid of a national security block." July 17, 1990 letter from Ronald Lister to Scott Weekly. (ChV, Pt2)
"Blandon continued to give some material support to the Contra cause. Blandon stated he gave Contra leader Eden Pastora $9000 intended for the Contras when Pastora came to Los Angeles in 1985 or 1986." (ChIV, Pt2)
"(Prosecutor Suzanne Bryant-Deason) also said the officers brought a box of documents to the meeting, apparently bank documents...She remembered being struck by the amounts of money reflected in the bank documents and references to the US Treasury. These were most likely...the records seized from Blandon's house which appeared to be Contra bank records." (ChII, Pt3)
"Among the documents seized from Blandon's house were bank statements that appeared to be related to Contra financial activities. As we describe in more detail in Chapter IV below, Blandon told us that the documents were sent to him from his sister, Leysla Balladares, who lived in San Francisco. He said the documents were copies of bank accounts maintained by Contra leaders, and these records indicated that the Contra leaders were stealing money donated to the Contras and that these records did not relate to him or his drug trafficking. He said his sister had sent him the documents because she thought he would be interested in them." (ChII, PtE1a, p39)
(Description of bank records referenced above)
"OIG reviewed the files seized by the LASD and copied by the FBI in the 1986 searches of Blandon's residences. Among the documents seized from Blandon's house were records that appeared to reflect deposits in seven bank accounts. The documents listed the check, endorser, location, amount, and balance. Some of these deposits were marked "U.S. Treasury/State" and totaled approximately $9,000,000,000. Other deposits were marked Cayman Islands and totaled about $883,000." (ChIV, Pt2, p154)
"Little Brother: These are the bank statements of the suppliers of the Contra. They have issued checks to different persons and companies, the same to the Cayman Islands..... Blessings, Leysla" (ChIV, Pt2, p154)
"Balladares [Blandon's sister] added that she was a member of the FDN." (ChIV, Pt2, p154)"Blandon said 'we were fighting for something that is good and they were making money for that'" (ChIV, Pt2, p155)
"The informant also reported that Blandon, his wife Chepita, Ronald Lister, Moreno, Moreno's wife Aurora Moreno, Carlos Rocha, Ivan Torres and other transported millions of dollars from Los Angeles to a townhouse in Miami that had been purchased for Blandon by Orlando Murillo. Murillo worked for the Government Security Bank in Coral Gables, Florida and allegedly acted as the money launderer for the Blandon organization." (ChII, PtB, p31)
"Blandon was angry when Rocha said that he had told the FBI about Orlando Murillo, Blandon's rich uncle in Miami." (ChII, PtE3b, p44)
From Meneses' San Francisco operation:
DEA informant "SR3 told the DEA in 1986 that Meneses, who had once been a member of the FDN, had been trafficking both to make money for himself and to raise funds for the Contras." (ChIV, Pt2)
"SR3 noted that...Renato Pena worked for Jairo Meneses, and ran the San Francisco office of the FDN. According to SR3, Pena was one of the major Contra fundraisers in San Francisco and was one of those responsible for sending Meneses' drug proceeds to the Contras." (ChIV, Pt2)
"Jairo Meneses allegedly told Pena that the drugs were being sold to raise money for the Contras...Pena stated that both Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandon told him they were also raising money for the Contras through drug dealing and that Blandon stated that the Contras would not have been able to operate without drug proceeds. Norwin Meneses allegedly told Pena that Contra leader Enrique Bermudez was aware of the drug dealing." (ChIV, Pt2)
DEA informant SR3 told the DEA in 1986 that Meneses "used family members to smuggle drug proceeds from San Francisco, through New Orleans and into Central America for the Contras. Some of these proceeds were used to buy weapons for the Contras in Colombia...SR3 said Meneses had recruited him to coordinate drug and weapons shipments from Colombia." (ChIV, Pt2)
"The DEA also interviewed three Nicaraguan subjects arrested in a San Francisco DEA case. All three stated that they knew Contras who were involved in drug activity. One stated that the Contras were selling drugs to make money to finance the war...The DEA concluded that all three probably knew more than they had told the DEA but held back because of family and political ties." (ChIV, Pt2)
"According to Source 1, Cabezas and Zavala were helping the Contras with drug money. Horacio Pereira and Fernando Sanchez also claimed that they were taking the money to help the Contras...In order to get cocaine from Sanchez and a man named 'Rayo,' Zavala and Cabezas had to agree to give 50 percent of their profits to the Contras."...Fernando Sanchez "functioned as the representative for all Contras in Guatemala (and) said that he had a direct CIA contact in Guatemala -- a man named Castelairo - and noted that his brother Aristides also had CIA links, some of whom Sanchez had met socially at Aristides' house in Miami." (ChIX, Pt1) The OIG reports that the source of this information, Source 1, "was a CIA asset prior to his work with the FBI."
FBI Special Agent David Alba "had the impression that the CIA interfered in the return of the $36,000 to Zavala and that Zavala or someone he was working with was involved with the CIA....Zavala said he retained some of the proceeds from the check and sent some back to the Contras." (ChVIII, Pt2)
San Francisco FBI agent Gibler "heard unsubstantiated rumors that the Meneses organization was sending money to support the Contras..." (ChIV, Pt1)
"Meneses recalled giving some of his own money to the Contras, but not much, he claimed about $3,000 between 1982 and 1985." (ChIV, Pt2)
CIA Involvement
The Kerry Committee documented the extensive role of the CIA in creating, operating, maintaining and directing the Contra operations. The Kerry Committee also found significant evidence of CIA knowledge of the Contra drug operations. The OIG found evidence as well.
CIA knowledge of Contra drug operations
"When debriefed by the DEA in the early 1980s, Pena said that the CIA was allowing the Contras to fly drugs into the United States, sell them, and keep the proceeds." (ChIV, Pt2)
In 1987, Blandon associate Ivan Torres told a DEA informant that "the CIA wants to know about drug trafficking but only for their own purposes and not necessarily to assist law enforcement agencies...Torres also told DEA CI-1 that CIA representatives are aware of his drug-related activities and that they don't mind. He said they have gone so far as to encourage cocaine trafficking by members of the contras because they know that it is a good source of income. Some of this money has gone into numbered accounts in Europe and Panama, as does the money that goes to Managua from cocaine trafficking." (ChII, Pt4)
"(Ivan) Torres had told DEA CI-1 about receiving counter-intelligence training from the CIA, and had avowed that the CIA 'looks the other way and in essence allows them (contras) to engage in narcotics trafficking as long as it is done outside the United States." (ChII, Pt4)
"According to a memorandum from the CIA attorney, the CIA suggested that the depositions could cause damage to the CIA's image and program in Central America." (Ex.Sum. p18/19)
Direct involvement of CIA agents
"Cabezas also claimed to the OIG that the Contra cocaine enterprise operated with the knowledge of and under the supervision of the CIA. Cabezas claimed that this drug enterprise was run with the knowledge of a CIA agent named Ivan Gomez." (ChIX, Pt1)
According to a memo from the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco to the Justice Department, "Norwin has also dealt with Enrique Bermudez who was a colonel in the Somoza army and who is now an alleged leader of the Contra faction." (ChIII, Pt1)
"When asked why Aureliano would appoint Pena to another position when he was suspected of drug trafficking, Pena attributed this to the fact that Meneses was on such good terms with Bermudez, who Pena said was a 'CIA agent'...because Norwin Meneses kept in good contact with Bermudez, Pena "believes the CIA knows about all these things"...Pena stated his belief that the CIA decided to recruit Meneses so that drug sales could be used to support the Contras; Bermudez could not have recruited Meneses on his own, according to Pena, but would have had to 'follow orders." (ChIV, Pt2)
"Pena stated that he was present on many occasions when Meneses telephoned Bermudez in Honduras. Meneses told Pena of Bermudez's requests for such things as gun silencers (which Pena said Meneses obtained in Los Angeles), crossbows, and other military equipment for the Contras. Pena believe that Meneses would sometimes transport certain of these items himself to Central America, and other times would have contacts in Los Angeles and Miami send cargo to Honduras where the authorities were cooperating with the Contras. Pena believes Meneses had contact with Bermudez from about 1981 or 1982 through the mid-1980s." (ChIV, Pt2)
Meneses "told of collaborating with Enrique Bermudez in support of the Contras. Between 1982 and 1983-4, Meneses' job was to recruit people in California to join the Contras. Thereafter, he purchased supplies and raised money in small amounts from Nicaraguan nationals." (ChIV, p2)
"On August 25, 1982, Francisco Zavala advised Source 1 of his belief that Adolfo Calero and the individual for whom Zavala was working in New Orleans were in cocaine...Source 1 had previously reported on June 22, 1982 that "Adolfo Calero lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, and that he is definitely involved in cocaine traffic." (ChIX, Pt1)"Cabezas alleged that between December 1981 and December 1982, he and Zavala smuggled cocaine from Costa Rica to the United States in baskets woven from cocaine-stuffed reeds, sold the cocaine in San Francisco, and returned the profits to the Contras. Cabezas also claimed that this "Contra Cocaine" enterprise operated under the supervision of the CIA." (Ex.Sum. p20)
Norwin Meneses and the CIA
"It became apparent to the FBI that Norwin Meneses was, and may still be, an informant of the DEA. It is also believed by the FBI, SF, that Norwin Meneses was, and may still be, an informant for the Central Intelligence Agency." FBI special agent Donald Hale, Jan. 1988, cable to FBI headquarters. (ChIII, Pt3)
"Meneses told DEA CI-1 in 1986 or 1987 that when the Contra revolution started, he met with some 'American agents' whom Meneses assumed were with the CIA, and showed them how to get in and out of Nicaragua." (ChIV, Pt2)
During an interview in 1985 by the DEA office of Professional Responsibility, an associate of Meneses "added that he had heard Meneses brag about having connections in the United States government, including the CIA and politicians in San Francisco." (ChIII, Pt2)
In a 1986 interview with the DEA, Informant SR3 said "Meneses boasted that he traveled in and out of Nicaragua freely, and that United States agents would assist him, which SR3 took as a reference to either the CIA or the FBI." (ChIII, Pt4, p2)
"On Oct. 3, 1987, an FBI informant told FBI Special Agent Donald Hale that Meneses was in San Francisco. This informant later advised Hale that Meneses was telling his associates that he was an informant for the CIA and that was why he had not been arrested for drug trafficking." (ChIII, Pt2)
"The (DEA) agent said he also suspected CIA involvement with Meneses because of his claimed ties to the Contras." (ChIII, Pt2)
"The San Francisco FBI had source information claiming that Meneses may have worked for the CIA." (ChII, Pt4)
A Jan. 29, 1987 cable from the DEA office in San Francisco "asked DEA headquarters to find out from DEA Costa Rica whether an indictment of Meneses by the San Francisco FBI 'will result in national security problems with other agencies.'" (ChII, Pt4)
"(FBI agent) Gibler said that he also heard rumors that Meneses was working with the CIA." (ChIV, Pt1)
In an early 1987 memo from the FBI to the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco, it was noted that an "informant also stated that Meneses had a reputation as a gun runner in Nicaragua and may have worked for the CIA." (ChIII, Pt1)
"[Enrique Miranda Jaime] repeated the claim that Meneses had sold cocaine for the Contras, stating also that it was done with the support of the CIA." (Ex.Sum. p17)
Danilo Blandon and the CIA
In a Feb 5, 1991 memo, INS agent Robert Tellez wrote of Blandon: "This major cocaine trafficker may have had a degree of influence from the CIA." The OIG noted that "Tellez had also told an Immigration Examiner that Blandon knew people who had contact with the CIA and the Contras." (ChII, Pt6)
"As you know, this is a narcotics investigation involving FBI, DEA and LASO units in Riverside and Whittier, California, respectively. It is a sensitive matter since it involves allegations of drug running in support of the CONTRA movement in Nicaragua and wholly unconfirmed allegations of CIA involvement." Memo from AUSA Crossan Anderson to IRS CID, Nov. 25, 1986.
"Unfortunately for the United States Attorney's Office, I have heard that the U.S. intelligence agencies have used their influence to prevent prosecution of the Blandon drug smuggling organization...Lister...understood that two or three times prior to this time, there had been an attempt to prosecute the Blandon smuggling organization and it had been quashed by U.S. intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department because it would have been embarrassing." Jan. 8, 1992 letter from Lynn Ball to Federal Judge Rudi Brewster, San Diego.
"Hector Berrellez, the DEA agent who participated in the search of Roberto Aguilar's house...had a vague recollections of some 'talk' - he was not sure from who but thought it was from (DEA agent) Schrettner - that the CIA may have monitored the LASD case through the DEA's intelligence center (EPIC)." (ChII, Pt2) (CIA is a participant in EPIC.)
"Hector Berrellez, the DEA agent who participated in the search of Roberto Aguilar's house, told us that the occupants of the house knew that the search warrant was coming and said that they were expecting the police. Berrellez said he did not question the occupants about how they knew, although he said he has a vague recollection of some 'talk' - he was not sure from whom but thought it was from Schrettner - that the CIA may have monitored the LASD case through the DEA's intelligence center (EPIC). (ChII, PtE2b, p41)
"According to LASD Sergent Huffman, after Blandon was arrested in connection with the search of his house on October 27, 1986, Blandon's attorney, Bradley Brunon, called Huffman and complained about the arrest of Blandon. Brunon allegedly said that he thought the 'CIA winked at this sort of thing,' referring to efforts by Blandon to raise funds for the Contras."(ChII, PtE3d2, p46)"
Ronald Lister and the CIA
"Blandon recalled hearing Lister say that he was involved with the CIA and that he knew someone high up in the CIA who was getting him some licenses so he could sell weapons to Iran." (ChV, Pt1)
"During the FBI's 1984 investigation of Lister, he claimed to have extensive CIA contacts and provided a number of names, including David Scott Weekly." (ChV, Pt1)
"Lister was thereafter debriefed on his historical knowledge of the Blandon organization by DEA SA Jones. In this debriefing, Lister claimed that he had a CIA connection and mentioned the names Scott Weekly and Bo Gritz." (ChV, Pt2)
"According to the ATF file, the U.S. Customs agent working with Scott Weekly told ATF that Weekly was acting at the direction of Customs when he was involved with the Contras." (ChV, Pt3)
"Lister told the OIG that he believed that Scott Weekly was associated with the Defense Intelligence Agency and that he had worked with Weekly on several projects, including a weapons demonstration in El Salvador." (ChV, Pt1)
"Lister was confronted with several letters written by his attorney, Lynn Ball, that included several references to Lister's contact with 'intelligence agencies.' Lister admitted having claimed CIA contacts on several occasions in order to get different law enforcement agents to back off." (ChV, Pt1)
"There may be other reasons why the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California has not been able to proceed on an indictment of defendants identified by Ronald Lister. These reasons may have more to do with so-called 'national security' and political decisions made by the Attorney General, the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and other agencies..." Jan. 6, 1992 federal court motion by written by defense attorney Lynn Ball on behalf of Ronald Lister.
"Deputy Sheriff Robert Juarez included the following in his supplementary report covering this search: 'I spoke with Mr. Lester [sic] who told me that he had dealings in South America & worked with the CIA and added that his friends in Washington weren't going to like what was going on. I told Mr. Lester that we were not interested in his business in South America. Mr. Lester replied that he would call Mr. Weekly of the CIA and report me." (ChII, PtE2a, p39)
"[Found] a 10-page handwritten document with names, phone numbers, a flowchart and a description of various meetings. This document also contained the phrase: 'In meantime I had regular meeting with DIA Sub contractor Scott Weekly. Scott had worked in El Salvador for us. Meeting concern my relationship w the Contra grp. in Cent. Am. At that time I asked him about scramblers syst. I might buy to sell.' It added: 'Said he could get one for me to sell if I had a customer. Want $10,000 for it. As he had to share cost w someone in DIA.'"(ChII, PtE2b, p40)
"In FBI files, however, we found a cable date November 17, 1986, from Aukland to FBI Headquarters, which reported: 'During the service of the 14 search warrants by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office ... it was noted that subject Lister commented that his 'CIA contact,' Mr. Weekly, would not appreciate this intrusion. Lister has allegedly been selling arms to South American countries or insurgents. In addition, documents obtained during the search indicated that Lister has been in contact with a Scott Weekly, 'DIA' (possible Defense Intelligence Agency)." (ChII, PtE2b, p40)
Arms trafficking by the Meneses/Blandon operation
In addition to dealing drugs for the Contra movement, the Meneses/Blandon operation smuggled arms to Central America and directed profits to the Contras.
"In 1982, a source told the FBI that Meneses was associating with known drug dealers and had a reputation as a hit man who had killed in Nicaragua. Another FBI source reported that Meneses was involved in the weapons business..."(ChIII, Pt1)
"Meneses described Lister as a close associate of Blandon who, in addition to cocaine trafficking, smuggled sophisticated weapons into Latin America and Asia." (ChII, Pt4)
Blandon told the OIG that "he had first met Lister when he came to an FDN meeting to show them some weapons. Eventually, Lister, Meneses and Blandon entered into an informal partnership for the purpose of selling arms abroad. Efforts to sell to the Contras were unsuccessful, however, because the Contras already had their own weapons suppliers. Meneses, Blandon and Lister than went to El Salvador to market weapons to the Salvadorans. According to Blandon, the plan was for Blandon and Meneses to get their share of the profits in weapons, which they would then give to the Contras." (ChI, Pt5)
"In September 1983, Lister's company Pyramid International Security Consultants, was listed as the subject of a (FBI) neutrality violation investigation involving the sale of weapons to El Salvador and the loan of money from Saudi Arabia to the Salvadoran government. Lister was also alleged to be attempting to sell arms to several other countries." (ChV, Pt1)
"According to Tim LaFrance, Pyramid Security was run by Richard Wilker, who claimed some CIA affiliation. LaFrance believed that Wilker once did have some contact with the CIA..." (ChV, Pt3)
FBI informant LA CI-1 "recalled that Meneses returned to Miami from El Salvador in 1982 and spoke of plans to sell night scope devices obtained from Ronald Lister to the Salvadoran government. Meneses planned to use the proceeds from the night scopes to aid the Contras." (ChI, Pt5)
"Lister told the OIG that between 1982 and 1984, he and an associate obtained 15-20 KG-9's and some handguns from Crasney's Gun Shop, a legitimate gun dealer, and sold them to Blandon. He claimed that he provided Blandon with weapons for the Contras...Blandon told Lister that he had sent the weapons to the Contras...He explained, "Anything I gave him was for the purpose of the Contras. What he did with it, I can't say." (ChV, Pt1)
"Lister's 1985 monthly calendar was also among the documents seized. It reflects appointment with the notation 'Contra' or 'D-Contra.' On Feb. 25, 1985, the notation '1 p.m. Scott DIA, ref/Contra group...Lister said the notation "SF Contras" on Mar. 7, 1985 was a reference to a meeting with Blandon in San Francisco on a drug transaction and the notation "LA Contras" on Sept. 18, 1985 referred to meeting Blandon in Los Angeles on that date." (ChV, Pt1)
The OIG concluded that a handwritten document found in Lister's house during a 1986 drug raid "may well reflect efforts by Lister to supply military equipment to one or more factions involved in the civil war that was raging in El Salvador during this period." (ChV, Pt1)
"On Dec. 22, 1986, the FBI interviewed Lister...when asked if he was involved in training of Contras, he requested that an unidentified representative from another agency be present before he would answer..." (ChV, Pt1)
"On Feb. 3, 1987, the Los Angeles FBI received information from an informant that Lister had told an unidentified neighbor over drinks that he worked for Oliver North and Secord and had sent arms shipments to the Contras." (ChV, Pt1)
"DEA CI-1 was also told...that up until two years before, Blandon and his organization had been supplying Contra leader Eden Pastora with weapons." (ChII, Pt4)
"The agent said he had the impression that Norwin was moving guns for the Contras." (ChIII, Pt2)
Missing Records
A number of important documents were discussed in the DOJ's Report that were either lost, misplaced or for some reason were not able to be found.
"On October 31, 1986 and Nov. 3, 1986, numerous documents were copied by agents of the FBI, DEA and IRS. A later investigative report stated that 1,112 pages were copied...in response to our repeated requests the FBI was unable to locate these documents...the DEA could not locate these documents."
"The Los Angeles U.S. Attorney's Office was unable to find an OCDETF case closing form" explaining why the Blandon investigation was shut down. (ChII, Pt5)
"When retrieved by the OIG, Blandon's Alien File was in disarray..." (ChII, Pt7)
"The OIG requested all files on Meneses from the DEA, the FBI, the State Department and the INS, including his INS alien file. These files only provide sketchy information, however, and do not show how Meneses entered the United States repeatedly. Moreover, despite our requests to the INS, DEA and the State Department for all files concerning Meneses' entries into the United States and their extensive efforts to find them, we are not confident that all such files have been identified or located because our knowledge of certain visits Meneses took to the United States are not reflected in the records we obtained." (ChIII, Pt4)
The Meneses-Blandon-Ross Cocaine Operation
All official Reports acknowledged that Meneses, Blandon and Ross were major drug dealers.
"In sum, we found significant evidence that Meneses was a large-scale drug trafficker who was pursued by federal authorities for many years." (Ex.Sum. p10)
"During Ross' testimony at a trial in 1991, he estimated that he sold roughly 2,000 to 3,000 kilograms (approximately two to three tons) over the seven-year period he dealt drugs." (Ex.Sum. p12)"Blandon, by his own admission, became a significant drug dealer, receiving cocaine from Colombians, Mexicans, and Nicaraguans and selling large quantities to Rick Ross as well as others." (ChII, PtA, p30)
"Meneses imported cocaine from Colombia through Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica, and was one of the largest distributors of cocaine on the West Coast…. Blandon was said to be Meneses' largest competitor, although the two had previously been partners and still operated together when necessary." (ChII, PtC, p32)
"According to LA CI-1, among the members of Blandon's organization were his wife (Chepita), Orlando Murillo (who routinely laundered cocaine funds for Blandon), and Ronald Lister, a former Laguna Beach, California police officer who, in September 1985, allegedly drove with Blandon to deliver 100 kilos of cocaine to "major suppliers of LA 'rock houses'" in exchange for 2.6 million dollars." (ChII, PtC, p32)
"FBI Special Agent Don Hale … was investigating Meneses, in coordination with San Francisco Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Swenson. [H]e reported to (FBI Agent) Aukland that Meneses 'had been known as cocaine distributor for many years by FBI and DEA.'" (ChII, PtD, p34)
"According to the LASD Report .... Blandon was said to work with an ex-Laguna Beach Police Officer by the name of "Ronnie" [Ronald Lister], who was reported to have transported 100 kilos of cocaine to the "black market" in Los Angeles and millions of dollars to Miami for Blandon." (ChII, PtE, p35)
"Aff. stated G's informant had reported that the highest ranking member of the drug organization was Blandon, who had several businesses and residences that he used for the distribution and storage of cocaine. Ronald Lister, described as a close associate of Blandon, was said to operate a private investigation agency... and to store and transport cocaine for Blandon." (ChII, PtE1)
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