However, little progress was made in extracting cocas active ingredients. During the korean war, the first allegations of cia drug trafficking surfaced after 1949, stemming from a deal whereby arms were supplied to chiang kaisheks defeated generals in exchange for intelligence. Crack cocaine was particularly devastating for africanamerican communities. Smoking cocaine has existed for as long as the drug, and even sigmund freud was know to enjoy cocaine cigars, and the practice predates the cia, by some 6070 years. Justice report finds no cia link to crack cocaine trafficking july 23, 1998 contra leaders say cia not involved in drug sales november 26, 1996 deutch confronts angry l. Thus, dont bother again about crack cocaine addiction, side effects of crack cocaine and how to cook crack cocaine. Rockingup cocaine powder and smoking it was originally the method developed so distributors of cocaine could test the purity of the drug before it was purchased from the manufacturers. Cnn cia admits it overlooked contras links to drugs.
Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of. It may have placed cia personnel in contact, they otherwise. The cia dropped crack into the inner cities in the 80s. In the 19th century, there was a great interest among european chemists in the effects of coca leaves discovered in latin america. The press did not begin reporting on the issue of crack cocaine until 1984, but those articles suggested that the mounting crack problem had existed prior to that time. Crack has destroyed millions of lives since it was first introduced to the streets of america. The contra rebels were in full flow in nicaragua, and reportedly the cia turned a blind eye to the rebels exporting significant amounts of cocaine for funding. It was followed by other articles and editorials declaring that the crack cocaine crisis had been created by the cia andor agents of the united states government. 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.
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. Teddy mcdonald carter hudson, a cia operative running from a dark past. Although they may have used it in some of their covert tests, i doubt they are the ones who invented it. Crack cocaine was first introduced to the united states in the early 1980s, going on to become an epidemic with millions of users and contributing to. It refuted charges that cia officials knew that their nicaraguan allies were dealing drugs. In his report, webb who had won a pulitzer in 1989 for a different story claimed that the cia was partly responsible for bringing crack cocaine to the united states in the 1980s. A complete history of crack cocaine march 28, 2018 substance abuse 0 comments crack cocaine, commonly shortened to crack, is a free base version of cocaine a drug that has been used in various forms in south america for centuries. The govt cia invented crack just to target the black man in order to keep him down. The cias suspect past made the sensational articles an easy sell. Crack cocaine, also known simply as crack or rock, is a free base form of cocaine that can be smoked.
Nicaraguan drug rebels were exporting drugs for money, with the cias covert assistance. The millions of dollars made from those sales were later used to fund. Both eazye and knight were involved in cripblood crack cocaine rings at that time. One claim brought up often in this is the cia invented crack, which is more than likely untrue. Would have made sense too, because economicallyspeaking crack cocaine gave the innercity an economy that reagan failed to do. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. Freeway rick ross on how he introduced crack to the u. The majority of european crack cocaine users are located in three citieshamburg, london and paris.
Ross was a source for webb, who alleged that the cia had a role in the introduction of crack to the u. On august 18, 1996, the san jose mercury news published the first installment of a threepart series of articles concerning crack cocaine, the central intelligence agency cia, and the nicaraguan contra army. Lets find out more about albert niemann, the man who invented cocaine. Crack cocaine is a potent form of cocaine, which is a drug derived from the coca plant from south america. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yesand the charge. Smoking dried coca paste seems to have been practiced occasionally in peru even in the 19th century, by mixing it with tobacco. As the land border became more tightly controlled, cocaine would be shipped via the caribbean and the bahamas and end up in miami.
On august 18, 1996, the san jose mercury news published the first installment of a threepart series of articles concerning crack cocaine, the central intelligence agency cia, and the nicaraguan contra. Later in the same region, while the cia was sponsoring a secret war in laos from 1961 to 1975, it was openly accused of trafficking heroin in the area then known as the. Back in 1996, gary webb of the san jose mercury news broke a story stating not only that the nicaraguan contras supported by the united states in a rebellion against their leftleaning government were involved in the us crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, but also that the cia knew and turned a blind eye to the operation. Ciacontracrack cocaine controversy department of justice. Thats a long way from the cia invented crack to destroy africanamerican communities, but the salacious version is the one that travels most widely. Within a few short years in the early and mid1980s, crack a highly addictive, smokable and, most importantly, cheap form of cocaine had rocketed into virtually every big city in america. A complete history of crack cocaine drug rehab options. History of crack cocaine the recovery village ridgefield. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. Webb is the former san jose mercury news reporter whose 1996 dark alliance series on the socalled ciacrack cocaine connection created a firestorm of controversy and led to his resignation from the. Crack cocaine deliberately infiltrated into south central l.
To help fund their campaign, the cia allowed rebels to flood american cities with crack cocaine, with the help of street dealers like las freeway rick. A ciasponsored drug ring funneled millions of dollars in drug profits to the nicaraguan contra rebels and, in the process, opened the first pipeline for crack. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. Much like the aids in vending machines, this is moon landing, birther, conspiracy level insanity. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. Gary webb linked the cia to americas introduction to crack cocaine. Kill the messenger tells the story of the tragic death of gary webb, the controversial newspaper reporter who committed suicide in december 2004. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward.
Cia crack cocaine, are crack and cocaine the same thing. Gary webb in his own words 2002 cia cocaine dark alliance. When people are into drugs they come up with all kinds of ways to use it. The contra rebels were in full flow in nicaragua, and reportedly the cia turned a blind eye to the rebels exporting significant amounts of. The crack epidemic the history of crack cocaine drug. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. Hence, we do not easily give out pictures of crack cocaine because some people can misuse these pics online. In 1985, crack sold for about five dollars a rock in most cities. The reagan administration and the cia also collaborated with nicaraguan cocaine traffickers to support the contras led to the crack epidemic of the 1980s. Did the cia play a role in launching the crackcocaine epidemic. Ive heard the cia first synthesized crack cocaine, and ive heard albert neiman, the german chemist who discovered cocaine, but i doubt it was albert neiman.
Freeway ricky ross and the cia cocaine conspiracy for gq magazine, 2003 in the 80s the us government financed a dirty war by bankrolling the contras against the leftwing sandanistas of nicaragua. A former cia officer, john vanderwerker, confirmed to schou that nelson and lister knew each other webb p195. Its a myth that crack cocaine punishments were created by. Crack first saw widespread use as a recreational drug in primarily impoverished neighborhoods in new york city, philadelphia, baltimore, washington, d. Freeway ricky ross and the cia cocaine conspiracy sanjiv b. Mixing finished cocaine with various substances in order to render it chemically smokable has also been done for a long. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum. In october 1998, the cia released a declassified version of hitzs twovolume report, and the cia was cleared of its alleged complicity in the spread of crackcocaine in to the innercities. In this episode, chris calton explains how the potent mix of politicans and. Six weeks after the declassified and heavily censored first volume of the cia report was made public, inspector general. Crack, which is a form of cocaine, was likely not invented by the cia.
Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was. The emergence of crack cocaine started in the 1970s and 1980s during the boom in cocaines recreational use. Blacks were targeted for cia cocaine it can be proven. The coca plant has been used as a stimulant by the native people of south america for many centuries, but it wasnt until 1859 that modern cocaine was developed as a drug in germany. Where did the cia introduced crack to the inner cities in. The igs report cleared the cia of complicity with the innercity crack cocaine trade.
I thought id come here for some help in looking for an answer. The manual of adolescent substance abuse treatment calls it the most addictive form of cocaine. It was whites who invented crack and who imported it into the country, and it was whitesnotably the ciawho profited from the drug trade at the upper levels. The first article also made other specific allegations of cia knowledge of, or involvement in, the drug rings activities. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. Did the cia really invent and distribute crack cocaine in.
Freeway ricky ross, the drug kingpin who ignited crack. Straight outta compton, did the cia infiltrate rap music. 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. But crack cocaine use has also been reported as a significant problem in three french overseas territoriesguadeloupe, french guiana and martiniqueand in some communities in the netherlands. Eventually, there became a glut in the market of too much cocaine and not enough profits for the drug dealers. I want to know who invented crack cocaine out of curiosity and knowledge. During the 1980s, the war on drugs became defined by cocaine and crack. 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. 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. If the cia invented crack cocaine, it was because scientists broke down the human genome and determined that certain groups generally lacked the brakes on the frontal lobe to control their impulses. When the first crack house was discovered in miami in 1982, it drew little. Did the cia play a role in launching the crack cocaine epidemic. A washington post investigation into ross, blandon, meneses and the u.
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