-
Extensión
-
2 fojas
-
Resumen
-
El acusado fue General Manuel Antonio Noriega, comandante en jefe de las fuerzas de defensa de Panamá y de gobernante de facto de un importante aliado de Estados Unidos..
-
Tipo
-
Estados Unidos
-
Clasificación
-
UAMC.MAGC.01
-
Sububicacion
-
Sobre
-
Texto completo
-
ates - - - - - - - - 1
TIME/ FEBRUARY 15, 1988
s
The U. S. indicts Panama strongman/or pushing drugs
he ritual was familia r. but the spe cifics were ur:precedented . When
U.S. Attorneys Í.11 tvhami and Tampa announced two majar ..:ri.minal
indictments Jast Friday. it ·.vas r.ot justanOther drug bust. The ac::used was General
Manuei Antonio .Nnriega. comrnander in
chief of the Pan ama f',¡;,fense forces and de
facto ruler of an i.mporu.nt U.S. ally. He
was charged with árug traffic kin g. launderi.ng millions of doüars ¡ n illic!t profits
and providi.ng safe haven for S('me of the
world 's most notorious narcNi:s oarons.
In Iampa. U.S. Attomey -R oben
Merklc accused Noriega of cc-ns pJring to
import and dJstribute more than l miUion
Jbs. oi marijuana in ro the U.S. ln Miami,
U.S. Attorney Lean KeUner charged the
general with accepti.ng $4.6 million in
payoffs for allowing Colombia's c.owerful
drug canei to sh1p more than 4.000 l~s . of
cocai.ne through Panama to the U.S. Noriega also aJlegedly permitted the cartel to
set up a cocaine-processi.ng plant in Panaroa and to terr:porarily rclocate its headquarters there after the murder oi Colombia's Ju!:tice Minister L1 1985. The
general. Kellner i::harged. had "' utilized
his position to sell the country of Panama
to drug tniffickers."
Although ru:nors of the indictments
had been circula ting for wceks. no one
could be sure that Washington wou!d allow the u.nusual prosecution . To stem the
flow of drugs i.nto the U.S., the Administration has leaned heaviJy on latín
A merican governmen;s lO roct out the
drug moguls. whose guns and money :,ave
i.ntimidated or bought off local authorities. But never before has the U.S. targeted an individual Latin leader . Coming
just two da ys afte r the House of Representatives rejected funher aid to the contras.
the criminal charges against 1\. oriega not
only raise the stakes in the ar on drugs
but presage even mcre troubles for the
U.S.'s battered Central Americ:: n policy.
Panama . far mure than war-to rn Nicaragua . is Central America ·s pnze. The
51-mile-Jong canaL still under L .S. controL has rnaJOf strategic val ue; Panarr:a is
also one of the U.S. ·s prime lister:in¿>, posts
in thc region and horr:e to thc l 0.000-man
U.S. Sou thcrn Cumma nd . T,) sorne . the
U.S.'s d ifficulties in Pan.1ma are remtniscent of Ira n . Having stru ·k another Faustian bargain with a ruthless and corrupt
dictator. the U.S. ag:lin tinds itselfturning
1T
6
.,_
.,_.;
...
Toogh customer: ~neraf Manuel Norlega ata recent event in Panall\3 Cfty
- - -----"Contr-.15. SandiiiiSIUS, t.!l.bans. tite' e lA--he d¡•als k"ith rhem a!/ lO make !1101/f!Y. ..
caragua·s
against a longtime client with no viable has sold weapons bOth to
democratic rcplaccment in the wings.
anti-Communist contras anJ to Marxtst
The Reagan Administration and its guerrillas in El Salvador. " He is a bu ·ipredeccssors h:i ve long been a ware of No- nessman." declares Blandón. ''Contras.
riega 's sea m y dcalings. Nonethelc!ss. top Sandinistas. Cubans. the CJA-he de:1ls
officials in the State and Defense depart- with them ali to make money.''
ments and the CIA vigcrously supponed
ntiJ Blandón. Ka!ish and others
him. citing his cooperation with U.S. intelligence agencies and willingness to let the"
provided direct evidence of NoneU.S. military operate broadly in Panarna.
ga's criminal activities. American
Even as the Administration finally took
officials were divided over what to
action, new charges suggested that Norie- do about him. As early as 1972, a U.S. narga played a role in the Iran-conrra arms cotics age nt proposed his "total and comdeal as well. José Blandón . until recently plete immobiliz.ation"-meaning asszssiPanama's consul general in New York nation. But the agent's superior rejected
City anda dese political adviser to Norie- the idea. last March. when Senarors Jc:sse '
ga, disdosed that the general had con- Helms of North Carolina and J0hn I'-crry
spired with Lieut. Colonel Oliver North. of ~assachusetts introduced a resolu ticn
the fc rmer National Security Council aide. condemning Panama for its poor sno,·;m g
to dispatch, then intercept, a shípment of in the v.ar on drugs. Assistnnt ,s_, twrney
East German arms to El Salvador's leftist General Stephen Trott protested that the
guerrillas. The motive: to blame Nicara- Panamanian record was "superb."
gua for supplying 'the weapons, thereby
U.S. Cl:stoms Commissioner William
supporting the charge that the Sandinistas von Raab begs to differ. "Occasionally
are exporting their revolutíon.
they swing sorne poor slob out to ma e u.s
E ven by the standards set by the Shah feel they·re cooperating.'· he says. "But it's
and Ferdinand Marcos. Noriega·s record nobody close to Noriega .'· Von Raab conis infamous. The diminutive general. demos the view that a pact with the d vil
whose acne-scarred comp!ex.ion earned is better tha n no oact at all: "At some
José Blandón: adviser turncd accuser ·
him the nic kname "Pineapple Face, .. has point you become o-wned by the devil .''
been accused in Pan ama of ordering both
Those days presumably ended with las¡
the decapitation of a política! ·opponent week's indict.ment. ln effect. it will prever.t
and the murder of the son of the man he Noriega from traveling
replaced as commander of the .armed r to the U.S.. where he ~
· ·. !
forces . Rising through the ranks. 'N'oriega would be arrested. Nori- ~
..,.._: ·1
allegedly created a criminal organization eg.a would face the same T
.... :
that would be the envy of a ny Mafia don. risk in France, where he ;;
::.< •
The 12,000-man Panama Defensc Forces keeps an apanment, and ;
rr ~,
1
are so mucha part of Noriega 's criminal in other countries that ~ trempire that U.S. Attorney Kellner con- ha vean extradition trea- ~
sidered classifying the en tire institution as ty with the U.S.
The State Departa corrupt organizatio'n: According to in. vestigators for the Senate Foreign Rela- ment has been trying for
tions Subcommittee on Terrorism. Nar- sorne time to persuade
éotics and Imernational Affairs, which the generalto step down
.~ ~.
_ ..uv ...,.......,.¡¡¡::,¡¡¡;;
wili hold hearings this week, Noriega de- in favor of a caretaker
mands a cut of almost every crime-related govemment that would Kellner
dollar deposited in Panama's 130 banks. pave the way for new
Drug traffickers and money launderers elections. The indictment may make it
who refuse to pay may have their ship- more difficult for Noriega to arrange a
gracefuJ ex.it.though in any event the generments hijacked at gunpoint.
Those who play along are well cared al has shown no sign of wanting to step
for. Steven Kalish. a convicted U.S. drug down. Panama ·s Foreign Mi.nistry last week
smuggler who was the chief witness released a predictable st.atement condemnagainst Noriega in the Tampa indict- ing the "new attack" against Noriega and
ment. says he pt:rsonally delivered at least questioning the credibility of Blandón ar.d
$900,000 in bribes to the general in 1983 the other wi tnesses. The same da y. 200 an tiNoriega demonstrators in downtown Pan aand 1984. In exchange. says Kalish. Noriega gave him a diplomatic p:¡ssport, a ma Óty called for the general 's resignauo n.
multimillion-do!lar letter of credit and Yet ith anti-U.S. sentimenr never far from
safe passage for hundreds of thousands of the surface in Panama. the indictment may
actua!Jy inspire support for l.>nega.
pounds of marijuana.
Complicating matters are the U.S. ll Noriega may have been motivated by
greed fu more than loyal ty to any ideolo- izens-10.000 troops and 40.000 nvtlgy. While a valucd point man for the C!A, ians-.living in Panama. Alrhough U S.
he enjoyed close relations with Cuban orfi ials do not see an immedtate threat.
Leader Fidcl Castro. Blandón says he per- diolomats and military offi ers a re urgtn
sonally witnessetl a 1984 meeting in Ha- Americans to be careful. "Wt're head ing
vana at which Castro mediated a dispute into a very . very rocky penod ... sa)S an
betweer: Noric:ga and the k::~ders of a ma- Administration officia L Tht: U.S. has
pushed a thuggish ally tnto a corner. and
jor Colombi;¡n drug ca rtel. According to
nü'A· it ca n only wait gua n.h.:dl} ft r tus ¡
1 Bhindón. as well as U.S. Customs investí-ByuurenceZuck.etman. 1
' ators . Noriega has supplied Cuba with reJ ·rton .
Stev:m Kalish: $900,000 in brihes
Reported by John Borre/1/ Panama Clty iJfld Ci.lifHI ¡
1 Ú.S. intelligence and high-tt:chnology
In return. pruft!~~J drug s/¡¡p_
ll_ll'_ll_ts-.- - - goods. In Centra 1 Ame<·ica, the gent:ra! Sh.Jtnon/ WashincfOII
J
~
TIME. f-EBRUARY 15. 19~ti
~ .,..~
7
i1
t'
JI
; 1
¡1 1
t1
-
Materia
-
Estados Unidos acusa a hombre de Panamá por tráfico de drogas.
-
Persona o institución mencionada
-
Attorney Roben Merkle.
-
Steven Kalish.
-
Manuel Antonio Noriega
