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The Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport, located in the small town of Mena, Arkansas, is an unassuming site that has been the center of allegations involving the CIA, illicit drug trafficking, and covert operations, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.
During the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, the U.S. government was deeply engaged in counteracting the spread of communism in Central America, particularly in Nicaragua, where the Contras, a group of rebel forces, were fighting the communist Sandinista government. The CIA's alleged involvement at the Mena Airport is said to be linked to these operations, particularly the covert support of the Contras.
The most sensational claim is that the CIA used Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport as a hub for smuggling large quantities of drugs into the United States. This operation was allegedly conducted to secretly fund the Contras in Nicaragua, bypassing the Congressional ban on military aid to the group.
The narrative suggests that planes would leave Mena laden with weapons for the Contras and return filled with illegal drugs, which were then distributed in the U.S., with funds then used to buy more weapons for the Contras. According to reports, from 1981 to 1985, the Mena airport was a significant transit point for drugs entering the United States, with an estimated $3 to $5 billion worth of narcotics smuggled through it.
The planes used were likely small, unassuming, and capable of carrying significant payloads. This included single-engine light aircraft like the Piper PA-31 Navajo, known for its reliability and cargo capacity and the Cessna 404 Titan, a sturdy and versatile twin-engine craft, chosen for its balance of speed, range, and discretion.
Central to the Mena operation was the figure of Barry Seal, a notorious drug trafficker and pilot. Seal, who was assassinated in 1986, reportedly used the Mena airport as a base for his extensive cocaine smuggling operations. His connection with the CIA, however, remains a subject of speculation and debate...
During the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, the U.S. government was deeply engaged in counteracting the spread of communism in Central America, particularly in Nicaragua, where the Contras, a group of rebel forces, were fighting the communist Sandinista government. The CIA's alleged involvement at the Mena Airport is said to be linked to these operations, particularly the covert support of the Contras.
The most sensational claim is that the CIA used Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport as a hub for smuggling large quantities of drugs into the United States. This operation was allegedly conducted to secretly fund the Contras in Nicaragua, bypassing the Congressional ban on military aid to the group.
The narrative suggests that planes would leave Mena laden with weapons for the Contras and return filled with illegal drugs, which were then distributed in the U.S., with funds then used to buy more weapons for the Contras. According to reports, from 1981 to 1985, the Mena airport was a significant transit point for drugs entering the United States, with an estimated $3 to $5 billion worth of narcotics smuggled through it.
The planes used were likely small, unassuming, and capable of carrying significant payloads. This included single-engine light aircraft like the Piper PA-31 Navajo, known for its reliability and cargo capacity and the Cessna 404 Titan, a sturdy and versatile twin-engine craft, chosen for its balance of speed, range, and discretion.
Central to the Mena operation was the figure of Barry Seal, a notorious drug trafficker and pilot. Seal, who was assassinated in 1986, reportedly used the Mena airport as a base for his extensive cocaine smuggling operations. His connection with the CIA, however, remains a subject of speculation and debate...
Mena
Drugs
Cold War
Communism
Posted 12 mo ago
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