Speculative theory
CIA Crack CocaineAtlas
Crime & Trafficking · Drug trade & agency involvement
Gary Webb’s 1996 Dark Alliance series in the San Jose Mercury News tied Nicaraguan Contra figures, including Oscar Danilo Blandón, to cocaine that reached Los Angeles dealer Ricky Ross and the crack market. Official reviews confirmed earlier Contra-linked trafficking allegations were investigated, but rejected the claim that the CIA deliberately introduced crack into Black communities as policy.
Open the caseInvolved
person
Celerino Castillo
government agency
Central Intelligence Agency
document
Dark Alliance
government agency
Drug Enforcement Administration
person
Gary Webb
person
Michael R. Bromwich
organization
Nicaraguan Contras
person
Oscar Danilo Blandon
person
Ricky Donnell Ross
organization
San Jose Mercury News
organization
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
government agency
U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General