Barry Seal

When we mention CIA drug smuggling in Mena, Arkansas, the first name that comes to mind is Barry Seal. Barry Seal was a CIA agent and a very successful cocaine smuggler. He helped facilitate the exchange of drugs for arms in support of the Contras in Nicaragua. He also helped launder that drug money in some of the Arkansas banks tied to the Clinton family.

The key thing to remember is that Barry Seal was a long time CIA agent and a long time drug smuggler who worked out of Mena, Arkansas. We was caught and became an informant for the DEA while he continued to run operations for the CIA. He was delivering arms to the Contras and returned with drugs as payment.

In the above photo we see Barry Seal at dinner in Mexico City, January 22 1963. Shown, clockwise from front left, are alleged to be: David Sánchez Morales, Porter Goss (arm around Morales), Barry Seal, Guillermo Novo Sampol, Ignacio Novo Sampol; Carlos Alberto de Diego Aday, Richard Cain, Arsenio Felipe de Diego Aday, Tosh Plumlee and Virgilio Gonzalez.

David Sánchez Morales was a Central Intelligence Agency operative who worked in Cuba. Porter Johnston Goss was a CIA officer in Latin America during the Cold War. He became the Director of the CIA and was a co-sponsor of the Patriot Act. William Robert (Tosh) Plumlee was a CIA pilot and operative.

Guillermo Novo Sampol was a member of Operation 40, a CIA assassination squad established by Allen W. Dulles. Sampol was found guilty of assassinating Orlando Letelier. His younger brother Ignacio Novo Sampol was convicted of making false declarations in that same assassination trial.

Guillermo Novo Sampol, Ignacio Novo Sampol, Carlos Alberto de Diego Aday and Arsenio Felipe de Diego Aday were all members of Operation 40. Richard Cain is described as a notoriously corrupt Chicago police officer tied to the mafia. Which kinda makes sense since all of these CIA assets in the photo had something to do with Cuba. The CIA worked with the Mafia in Operation Mongoose to assist their objectives in Cuba.

Barry Seal was well connected to the CIA. According to Gerry Hemming, Barry Seal was a member of Operation 40 as well. Virgilio R. Gonzales was one of the Watergate burglars. Felix Rodriguez is another CIA operative that's supposed to be in the photo but is not listed.