Barry Seal

Barry Seal

Adler Berriman Seal, or "Barry Seal" (July 16, 1939February 19, 1986) was a pilot with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a drug smuggler (also with the CIA) turned Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informant. After a 1984 arrest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for money laundering and Quaalude smuggling, Seal negotiated a plea bargain that included him becoming an informant for the DEA and testifying against his former Colombian employers, putting several of them in jail. He was murdered on February 19, 1986 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The entire time Seal was engaged in drug trafficking he was also a commercial airline pilot. He flew transcontinental flights for TWA until he was fired after his 1984 arrest. Sam Dalton, the New Orleans attorney who represented the Colombian hit men subpoenaed the CIA about what he suspected was its complicity in Seal's assassination in court, and with great difficulty and the assistance of the judge, was able to get the suitcase Seal was carrying on the night of his murder. Though it had been ransacked, he found a piece of paper in the wallet with the private phone number of George H. W. Bush. [http://www.wethepeople.la/seal2.htm Bush Seal connection] ] :

Undercover Informant

In 1984, a Washington Times article stated DEA informant Barry Seal had successful infiltrated the Medellin cartel's operations in Panama. The story was leaked by Oliver North to show the Nicaraguan Sandanistas' involvement in the drug trade. [ [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/index.html PBS’s Frontline: Thirty Years of America’s Drug War: A Chronology] ] In an attempt his 1984 arrest in Florida, Seal agreed to cooperate with the DEA, and testify against his former colleagues. Amongst those Seal testified against were Prime Minister Norman Saunders and members of the Medellín Cartel. Seal also testified before the President's Commission on Organized Crime in October 1985.

Seal had also been used by the DEA and CIA in an attempted sting operation against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. In 1984 Seal arrived at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida with a shipment of cocaine that had been allegedly brokered through the Sandinista government. Seal testified that pictures taken during the trip showed Sandinista officials brokering a cocaine deal with members of Colombia’s drug cartel, although the poor quality of the pictures meant that Seal’s eyewitness account was the primary evidence for the claim. The story was later broken by both "The Washington Times" and "The Wall Street Journal", exposing Seal’s identity and involvement of his former Colombian associates.

As part of his plea agreement, Seal was ordered to a halfway house in Baton Rouge, where he was murdered. His former Medellin employers have been identified as the perpetrators, but some critics also implicate US administration.Fact|date=September 2007

As another minor historical and perhaps-not-coincidental note, the same C-123 Provider that was leased by a CIA front company (Southern Air Transport) that was used in the sting operation was later shot down by Sandinista 12.7 mm machine gun fire while air dropping supplies to Contras forces in Nicaraguan air space and the sole survivor, Eugene H. Hasenfus, was captured by the Nicaraguan government, bringing to light the international weapons-trafficking operation dubbed the Iran-Contra Affair.

His story was made into a film in 1991 by HBO, "Doublecrossed".

Death

On February 19, 1986, Barry Seal was assassinated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in front of a branch of the Salvation Army on Airline Hwy. As he sat in his Cadillac, two men carrying machine guns approached him. One of them then fired two shots into his head, killing Seal instantly, which brought the DEA's most important investigation to an end.

References

Further reading

* [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKseal.htm Page on Seal]
* "The Kingpin and his many connections" Michael Haddigan, The Arkansas Gazette
*Terry Reed and John Cummings, "Compromised: Clinton, Bush, and the CIA" (Clandestine Publishing, 1995) ISBN 1-883955-02-5
*Daniel Hopsicker, "Barry and the Boys:The CIA, the Mob and America's Secret History" (Mad Cow Press 2006) ISBN 978-0-9706591-7-0

}


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Barry Seal — Adler Berriman Seal oder Barry Seal († 19. Februar 1986 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) war ein CIA Agent und Drogenschmuggler, der nach eigener Aussage seit Ende der 1970er Jahre Kokain im Auftrag mittel und südamerikanischer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Barry Seal — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Barry Seal Adler Berriman Seal, o Barry Seal (16 de julio de 1939–19 de febrero de 1986) fue un piloto de la Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) y un traficante de droga, que se convirtió en informante …   Wikipedia Español

  • Seal — may refer to:Legal* Seal (contract law), a legal formality for contracts and other instruments * Seal (device), an official stamp or symbol used as a means of authentication * Seal (Chinese), a stamp used in East Asia as a form of a signature *… …   Wikipedia

  • Seal (desambiguación) — Seal puede referirse a: Gente Seal (nacido en 1963), Cantante compositor de soul británico. Seal (álbum de 1991) Seal (álbum de 1994) Seal (álbum de 2003) Barry Seal (1939–1986), un traficante de drogas e informante de la CIA. Brajendra Nath Seal …   Wikipedia Español

  • Barry Lather — (born August 16, 1966 in Albany, New York) is an American Choreographer, Actor and Musician. Biography Barry Lather grew up in Atlanta, Georgia with his brother Thomas and was raised in a dancing family. His mother, Joan, was a dance instructor… …   Wikipedia

  • Barry Morris Goldwater — Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater Sénateur de l Arizona Candidat républicain à la présidence des États Unis d Amérique (1964) Période de mandat : 1953 1965 et 1969 1987 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Adler Berriman Seal — Barry Seal Adler Berriman Seal oder Barry Seal († 19. Februar 1986 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) war ein CIA Agent und Drogenschmuggler, der nach eigener Aussage seit Ende der 1970er Jahre Kokain im Auftrag mittel und südamerikanischer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Barry Goldwater — Goldwater redirects here. For other uses, see Goldwater (disambiguation). This article is about the late United States Senator and Presidential nominee. For his son, see Barry Goldwater, Jr. Barry Goldwater United States Senator from Arizona …   Wikipedia

  • Seal of Michigan — Great Seal of the State of Michigan Versions …   Wikipedia

  • Seal of Missouri — Great Seal of the State of Missouri Versions …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”