How the CIA Created a Cocaine Dictator | The War on Drugs

In December 1989, 25,00 US troops invaded the small, Central American republic of Panama. But this was not a war against some communist regime or terrorist group – this was a drugs bust, aimed at arresting Manuel Noriega, the dictator of Panama, who was wanted on trafficking charges in Miami. Awkwardly for the US, Noriega had been a major CIA asset for decades – even as they knew he was becoming massively embedded with the cartels flooding the streets of the US with coke. This is how US intelligence shielded Noriega, even as he trafficked cocaine and laundered cartel millions – and also how the War on Drugs came to replace the Cold War as the central feature of US foreign policy. Watch more from this series:The Opioid Crisis Sweeping Africa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4MZEkFu8PE&t=24s Why Mexican Cartels Use American Gunshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=388wlVWxGz0 How Mexican Drug Cartels Make Billionshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dti7i1z6DNo&list=PLDbSvEZkaCheck out the VICE World News playlist for global reporting you won't find elsewhere: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw613M86o5o4S3BXgi3bCiIVuopQxIMgVClick here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICEAbout VICE:The Definitive Guide To Enlightening Information. From every corner of the planet, our immersive, caustic, ground-breaking and often bizarre stories have changed the way people think about culture, crime, art, parties, fashion, protest, the internet and other subjects that don't even have names yet. Browse the growing library and discover corners of the world you never knew existed. Welcome to VICE.Connect with VICE:Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-VideosVideos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.comMore videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideoClick here to get the best of VICE daily: http://bit.ly/1SquZ6vLike VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/viceFollow VICE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/viceFollow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/viceThe VICE YouTube Network:VICE: https://www.youtube.com/VICEMUNCHIES: https://www.youtube.com/MUNCHIES VICE News: https://www.youtube.com/VICENewsVICELAND: https://www.youtube.com/VICELANDTVBroadly: https://www.youtube.com/BroadlyNoisey: https://www.youtube.com/NoiseyMotherboard: https://www.youtube.com/MotherboardTV VICE Sports: https://www.youtube.com/NOCi-D: http://www.youtube.com/iDmagazine Waypoint: https://www.youtube.com/WaypointVICE