People like journalist Gary Webb (1955-2004) have uncovered the CIA’s connection to drug trafficking, reporting that the CIA facilitated crack-cocaine routes from South America to mainly Black neighbourhoods in the US to finance anti-communist efforts. Initially published in the San Jose Mercury News, Webb compiled his findings into a book titled, ‘Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.’
The Iran-Contra affair is an example of the US arming Nicaraguan right-wing militia (Contras) using profits from CIA-run drug operations.
Webb’s eye-opening revelations led to several congressional inquiries, including a notable 1996 town hall meeting where Michael Ruppert (1951-2014), a former narcotics officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), confronted ex-CIA Director John Deutch with proof of the agency’s involvement in drug trafficking that contributed to the crack-cocaine crisis in Black communities.
In the mid-1970s, Ruppert uncovered a vast CIA-run drug network that included the US military and the LAPD. He ultimately left the police force in November 1978. After exposing these illegal drug operations, Ruppert faced threats and harassment. Tragically, he took his own life in 2014.
Video credit: @PowerfulJRE (YouTube), @joerogan (X) and @cspan
Sources:
https://www.democracynow.org/2014/10/6/inside_the_dark_alliance_gary_webb
https://www.kboo.fm/media/16200-investigative-journalist-michael-ruppert-found-dead-apparent-suicide
https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/archive/special/9712/ch01p1.htm
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/reagan-iran
https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/archive/special/9712/ch04p1.htm