---
category: "Military Installation"
tags:
  - location
  - florida
  - contra-war
summary: Opa Locka was a location in the Miami area connected to Contra operations and aircraft used in the drug trafficking and weapons supply network.
---
Opa Locka was a location in the [[Miami]], [[Florida]] area connected to [[Contras|Contra]] operations and aircraft used in the drug trafficking and weapons supply network. The area's aviation facilities made it a convenient base for pilots involved in the Contra supply chain.[^1]

### Aviation Hub

Opa Locka's airfield served as one of the aviation facilities in the Miami area used by pilots connected to both the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s Contra supply operations and the [[cocaine]] trafficking networks that funded them. The proximity to [[Miami International Airport]] and the cluster of aviation-related businesses in the area, including [[DIACSA]], made Opa Locka part of the infrastructure supporting the dual weapons-for-drugs shuttle between [[Central America]] and the [[United States]].[^2]

### Footnotes

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 14.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 14.