Noriega capture and trial

The Event U.S. forces arrest Panama’s military dictator, General Manuel Noriega, who is subsequently tried for drug trafficking and money laundering

Date 1990-1992

Place Panama and Miami, Florida

The surrender and capture of Noriega brought an end to his de facto regime that had ruled for nearly six years. The removal of Noriega from power put a stop to the human rights abuses that were associated with his ruling, allowed a new Panamanian government to take over, and greatly helped the U.S. “war on drugs” in the region.

Manuel Antonio Noriega was a soldier for most of his life; he trained on U.S. military bases and slowly rose among the ranks of his own government in Panama. Noriega became a close informant for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the death of Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos helped to launch his career as the next Panamanian leader.

Noriega was not elected to his position but rather became the de facto leader by succeeding a man who removed himself from the presidential race. Noriega promoted himself to the position of general and took power in 1983. He continued his good relations with the United States by giving the United States more access to the Panama Canal and by helping U.S. interests in the region. Noriega allowed presidential elections in the following year, but when it appeared that he might lose, he halted the elections to ensure he stayed in power.

It was about this time, when Noriega assumed his role as a dictator, that he was first accused of being involved in drug trafficking. In addition, the general was suspected of murdering one of his critics, and the news of this brought the Panamanian public into the streets to protest his leadership. Despite these accusations, Noriega remained in the good graces of the United States until he was finally indicted on drug charges in 1988.

The Capture and Trial

Investigations took place into Noriega’s activities and his alleged deals with drug cartels to allow the transportation of cocaine over the Panamanian border. After enough evidence had been compiled proving that Noriega was, in fact, involved in the trafficking of millions of dollars worth of narcotics, the U.S. government called for his resignation. Noriega fervently refused to comply, and tensions between U.S. troops that were stationed in Panama and Noriega’s troops intensified.

The United States placed economic sanctions on Panama, and on December 16, 1989, the situation reached a climax when a U.S. Marine was shot in an altercation. President George H. W. Bush responded by sending American forces to invade Panama and to depose Noriega. The general managed to avoid capture by U.S. forces for nearly a month. Surrendering on January 3, 1990, he was immediately transported to Miami, Florida, where he would face trial.

General Noriega was tried on eight counts of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering. He was found to have been supplying information and assistance to drug cartels in the region while at the same time pledging to help the United States fight the so-called war on drugs in Panama. Noriega was ultimately convicted of his crimes and was sentenced on July 10, 1992, to serve forty years in a U.S. state penitentiary.

Impact

A onetime ally of the U.S. administration, in particular the CIA, Noriega slowly distanced himself from his northern neighbors. His involvement in the transportation of cocaine across the Panamanian border made him a target in the U.S. war on drugs. His capture and eventual conviction was a success for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which saw his imprisonment as a step toward severely depleting drug trafficking into the United States and in helping end the reign of large drug cartels with which Noriega had been involved.

Subsequent Events

Though Noriega’s capture did not win the war on drugs for the United States, it certainly stopped a great deal of the flow of illegal drugs through Panama. In March, 1999, his forty-year sentence was reduced to thirty. There have been repeated attempts by his lawyers to have him released. However, if released, Noriega may still serve time for his 1995 convictions of human rights abuses and murder in Panama. Also, the French government has attempted to have Noriega extradited so that he may serve time for a 1999 money-laundering conviction on French soil. In 2004, Noriega suffered a small stroke and was briefly hospitalized.

Bibliography

Behar, David S., and Godfrey Harris. Invasion: The American Destruction of the Noriega Regime in Panama. Los Angeles: Americas Group, 1990. Describes the events leading up to the invasion of Panama by the United States. Behar pays a great deal of attention to the invasion itself and the steps that were taken to ultimately bring down Noriega’s government.

McMillan, Robert R. Global Passage: Transformation of Panama and the Panama Canal. Charleston, S.C.: Booksurge, 2006. Focusing on the historical context of the Panama Canal, this book explains the effect the creation of the canal has had on the developing country. The author refers to Noriega throughout the text in relation to his negotiations about canal expansion and usage.

Murillo, Luis E. The Noriega Mess: The Drugs, the Canal, and Why America Invaded. Berkeley, Calif.: Video-Books, 1995. Murillo investigates the uneven politics in Panama, the vindictive nature of Noriega, and the history and circumstances that allowed the general to rise to power. The book is a truthful tale of the harsh realities of Panama and the extenuating circumstances that led to the U.S. invasion.