30 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
30 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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category: "City"
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tags:
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- Geography
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- City
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- United_States
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- Florida
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- Contra_War
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- 1980s
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summary: Major South Florida city that became the center of the Nicaraguan exile community, a hub for Contra fundraising and cocaine trafficking, and Danilo Blandón's base after leaving Los Angeles.
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---
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Miami is a city in southern [[Florida]] that served as a major hub for both [[Cocaine]] trafficking and [[Contras|Contra]] political activity during the 1980s.[^1] [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]] moved to Miami from [[Los Angeles]] in 1987, investing his drug profits in a string of businesses and reconnecting with Nicaraguan exile networks.[^2]
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### Contra Political Center
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Miami was the center of the Nicaraguan exile community in the [[United States]]. Contra leaders and supporters gathered at restaurants and businesses like La Parrilla, co-founded by former National Guard major general [[Gustavo Medina]] and FDN supporter [[Donald Barrios]]. Blandón bought into the restaurant, which became a hangout for Contra leaders and was named "the best Nicaraguan restaurant in Dade County" by the Miami Herald in 1987. [[Jose Macario|Jose Macario Estrada]], an exiled Nicaraguan judge and Blandón's immigration lawyer, was also based in Miami.[^2]
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### Cocaine Trafficking Hub
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Miami was one of the primary entry points for Colombian cocaine into the United States. [[Norwin Meneses]] flew planeloads of 200 to 400 kilograms of cocaine from Miami to Los Angeles. Blandón continued pursuing [[Ricky Ross]] from Miami, calling to offer cocaine deals, and traveled to [[New York City|New York]] to meet with Ross and Colombian suppliers. [[Enrique Miranda]], Meneses's former aide who "escaped" from a Nicaraguan prison, was found living in Miami in December 1996 with a visa the U.S. Embassy had issued him the day of his escape.[^3]
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### Blandón's Business Empire
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After moving to Miami, Blandón invested in Alpha II Rent-a-Car, which spread to twenty-four locations in southern Florida, and became an authorized outlet for Chrysler and [[General Motors]] vehicles. He also invested in Mex-US Import and Export Inc. and other businesses with Nicaraguan exile partners.[^2]
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### Footnotes
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[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 21: "I could go anywhere in the world and sell dope"
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[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 21: "I could go anywhere in the world and sell dope"
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[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 25: "Things are moving all around us"
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