Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno

Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno
Name	Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno
Birth date	February 11, 1934
Birth place	Panama City, Panama
Death date	May 29, 2017
Death place	Panama City, Panama
Nationality	Panamanian
Occupation	Military officer, politician
Years active	1950s–2011
Known for	De facto ruler of Panama (1983–1989)

Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno was a Panamanian military officer and political leader who became the de facto ruler of Panama in the 1980s. His tenure intersected with major Cold War-era actors and events such as the United States Department of Defense, Central Intelligence Agency, Contra affair, Cold War, and regional conflicts in Central America. He was a controversial figure associated with allegations of drug trafficking, human rights abuses, and clandestine intelligence relationships that culminated in the United States invasion of Panama.

Early life and military career

Born in Panama City in 1934, Noriega attended the Panamanian National Guard military academy and trained at foreign institutions including the School of the Americas and military schools in France and West Point-affiliated programs. Early in his career he served under commanders such as General Omar Torrijos Herrera and formed links with officers involved in the 1968 coup that brought Torrijos to power. During the 1970s and early 1980s he held positions within the National Guard and intelligence branches, interacting with organizations including the Panamanian Defense Forces, United States Southern Command, and regional security services in El Salvador and Guatemala. His rise involved contact with figures like Ricardo de la Espriella, Aristides Royo, and later presidents of Panama, as well as with international actors such as the Central Intelligence Agency and military advisers from United States defense establishments.

Rise to power and rule

Following the death of Torrijos in 1981, Noriega consolidated influence within the National Guard and maneuvered politically amid presidencies like those of Jorge Illueca and Ernesto Pérez Balladares. By the mid-1980s he emerged as the effective head of state through control of the Panamanian Defense Forces and connections to political parties and civic institutions including factions of the Democratic Revolutionary Party. His de facto rule involved appointments, electoral manipulations surrounding contests like the 1984 Panamanian election, and confrontations with opponents such as Moisés Giroldi and civic leaders tied to the Panamanian press and opposition parties. Internationally, he managed relationships with neighboring states like Costa Rica, Colombia, and Mexico, while navigating treaties and accords including the legacy of the Torrijos–Carter Treaties governing Panama Canal sovereignty.

Relations with the United States and intelligence activities

Noriega's long-standing contacts with Central Intelligence Agency operatives, United States Department of Defense personnel, and United States Southern Command officials complicated bilateral ties. During the 1980s he was alternately courted and sanctioned by administrations in Washington, D.C. amid events like the Iran–Contra affair and the War on Drugs. Allegations tied him to traffickers and networks operating between Colombia, Mexico, and the United States; these networks intersected with organizations such as the Medellín Cartel, Cali Cartel, and regional smuggling rings. Intelligence reports, investigative journalism by outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post, and congressional hearings involving committees like the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives produced evidence and disputes over Noriega’s dual role as a source for and subject of CIA activities, clandestine operations, and counterinsurgency support in contexts like Nicaragua and the Salvadoran civil conflict with actors including the Sandinista National Liberation Front and Fuerza Armada de El Salvador.

1989 U.S. invasion and capture

Tensions escalated after contested events such as the 1989 Panamanian election, political killings, and attacks on United States military personnel and installations including incidents at the U.S. Embassy. In December 1989, under President George H. W. Bush, the United States invasion of Panama—codenamed Operation Just Cause—was launched with units from United States Army, United States Marine Corps, 101st Airborne Division, and special operations forces. Major actions targeted the Tocumen International Airport, the Panama Canal Zone, and military headquarters of the Panamanian Defense Forces. Noriega went into hiding, sought refuge in the diplomatic mission of the Holy See at the Apostolic Nunciature in Panama City, and was ultimately captured following negotiations and military pressure. He was transported to the United States to face criminal charges.

Trials, convictions, and imprisonment

Once in the United States, Noriega was tried in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida on charges including drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering tied to narcotics networks such as those linked to Colombian drug cartels. Convicted in 1992, he received a prison sentence served at facilities within the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons. His case involved legal actors including federal prosecutors from the Department of Justice, defense counsel, and appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and raised issues connected to sovereign immunity, extradition law, and international criminal procedure. Later, Panama sought his return; subsequent extradition proceedings and diplomatic negotiations involved governments in France and Panama.

Later life, exile, and death

After serving time in the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons, Noriega was extradited to France in 2010 to face money-laundering convictions related to property and bank accounts linked to trafficking proceeds in cases heard by French courts in Paris. In 2011 he was returned to Panama, where Panamanian courts convicted him on charges related to the killings of opponents and other offenses; sentences were enforced by Panamanian penitentiary authorities. Health issues, including brain surgery and complications such as cancer, led to hospitalizations in institutions in Panama City. He died in May 2017, and his death prompted reactions from regional leaders in Latin America, human rights organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and archival assessments by researchers at institutions like Smithsonian Institution affiliates and university centers studying Cold War Latin American history.

Category:1934 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Panamanian politicians Category:Panamanian military personnel Category:People convicted of drug trafficking