Cia involvement crack epidemic of the 1980s

The question that i pose today is what is its correlation between the heroin epidemic and the overdose mortality rate with the cia and us government involvement in afghanistan. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects crack epidemic, the significant increase in the use of crack cocaine, or crack, in the united states during the early 1980s. Gary webb and the san jose mercury news have performed a tremendous community service by publishing the excellent threepart series aug. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u. Jul 03, 2017 fxs snowfall sets stage for 80s crack epidemic. After reading about gary webb exposing the cias potential complicity in l. 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. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. The baltimore sun how the american people feel about the cia. 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. A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of.

The story behind the crack explosion, gary webbs series reported that in addition to waging a proxy war for the u. Acting cia director robert gates sent a 1987 memorandum to cia deputy director for operations clair george stating that it was imperative that cia officers cease relations with contras who were even suspected of involvement in narcotics trafficking, according to the hitz report. 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. The series never reported direct cia involvement, although many readers. The reagan administration and the cia also collaborated with nicaraguan cocaine traffickers to support the contras led to the crack epidemic of the 1980s. These claims have led to investigations by the united states government, including hearings and reports by the united states house of representatives, senate, department of justice, and the cias office of the inspector general. Stories alleging cia involved in crack epidemic were flawed. For more than a decade, panamanian strongman manuel noriega was a highly paid cia asset and collaborator, despite knowledge by u.

Heres how the crack epidemic brought a city to its knees. Some in the african american community have long claimed that the federal government was responsible for the crack epidemic of the 1980s by letting the potent drug flourish in urban areas. Plumlee flew weapons into latin america for decades for the cia. Snowfall is a onehour drama set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic and its ultimate radical impact on. 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. The true story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still untold. Webbs series, the dark alliance, has been the subject of intense media debate. Oct 14, 2011 opium became a key funding mechanism for the insurgency, and as peter dale scott explained on the eyeopener earlier this year, the correlation between cia involvement in the region and increasing opium production was not coincidental. Even if a major investigation into the allegations is done, it is unlikely to quell the certainty among many african americans that the government played a role in bringing the crack epidemic. 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. Sep 20, 2019 the secret flow of drugs and money, webb reported, had a direct link to the crack epidemic that devastated californias most vulnerable african american neighborhoods. Then take a look at 37 startling photos of 1980s new york city, when crack was king.

Conspiracy theories can often ring true the washington post. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. An august, 1996, series in the san jose mercury news by reporter gary webb linked the origins of crack cocaine in california to the contras, a guerrilla force backed by the reagan administration that attacked nicaraguas sandinista government during the 1980s. According to the stories, the cia and its operatives used crack cocainesold via the. This was prompted by the journalist gary webb s report in the san jose mercury news alleging that the cia was behind the 1980s crack epidemic. Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of. When the contra revolution took off in the 1980s, plumlee says he continued to transport arms south for the spy agency and bring cocaine back with him, with the blessing of the u. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia.

Mchenry claims that the films main character, nino brown. The newspaper articles suggested that the united states government had protected blandon and meneses from prosecution and either knowingly permitted them to peddle massive quantities of cocaine to the black residents. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. Crack cocaine was popularized because of its affordability, its immediate euphoric effect, and its high profitability. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies.

Crack epidemic united states history 1980s britannica. A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of a drug triangle during the 1980s that linked cia officials in central america, a san francisco drug. Crack is wack but did cia create it to kill off blacks. 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. He acknowledges theres no proof of cia involvement in contrarelated drug smuggling, but what i. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. Here are 10 things to know about gary webb and his report that linked the cia to crack cocaine. 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. Did the cia play a role in launching the crackcocaine epidemic. A panel discussion on the mercury newws series drew an overflow crowd at the washington convention center on sept. Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic.

Aug 31, 2018 the cias collusion with anticommunist drug smugglers beginning in the 1960s played a direct role in the drug epidemic of the 1980s that was used to justify president reagans 1986 crime bill. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yesand the charge. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. Did the cia play a role in launching the crack cocaine epidemic. Between 1996 and 1998 the central intelligence agency investigated and then published a report about its alleged involvement in cocaine sales in the us. However, the mercury news series contained or at least many readers interpreted it to contain a new sensational claim.

Around the same timethe early 1980sa letter between attorney general. New jack city eats its young, the article was one of the first exposes of the effects of the crack epidemic on innercity communities. Also in the 1980s, the us supported the contras in their fight against the sandanista government in nicaragua. According to volume two of the cia report, the spy agency learned about the contracocaine connection almost immediately, secretly reporting that contra operatives were smuggling cocaine into south florida.

Crack epidemic, the significant increase in the use of crack cocaine, or crack, in the united states during the early 1980s. Cia and contras cocaine trafficking in the us intelligence. Ciasupplied contra planes and pilots carried cocaine from central america to. In the 1980s, all of us could count the number of people dead. Now, webbs bombshell expose is being explored anew in a documentary, freeway. How one journalist linked the cia to the crack epidemic and. The resulting outcry led both the cia and the justice department to. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia.

Mar 21, 2015 the cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb in 1996, journalist gary webb began looking into links between nicaraguas drugrunning contra rebels and the cia. Your worst fears are true the cia did help to smuggle drugs into american ghettos, says an investigative reporter, webb was asked whether his story had confirmed the suspicion within the black community that the crack cocaine epidemic might be part of a. So at the very least the cia was neglectful of the situation to the point where they did not stop such action which they knew were going on. New shows examine cias past role in latin americas drug trade. Agency to receive the cocaine which decimated black communities in the 1980s. A commonheld belief was that the cia flooded the black community with crack so. Cia admits tolerating contracocaine trafficking in 1980s by.

Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. 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. By the early 1980s, the bolivian connection had drawn in the fledgling colombian medellin cartel. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects. 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. He acknowledges theres no proof of cia involvement in contrarelated drug smuggling, but what i can safely buy into is that they knew it. Aug 30, 2012 one of the most talked about conspiracy theories of the mid80s and early 90s had to do with the crack epidemic. In 1996 the agency was accused of being a crack dealer. The cocaine that flooded in helped spark a crack explosion in urban america. The drug is incredibly addictive, and depending on the ratio of baking soda to powder cocaine, can stretch the original product very.