Manuel Noriega

Manuel Noriega (1934- ), former dictator of Panama (1983-1989), found guilty in 1992 of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering by a United States jury. He was born in Panama City. After studying on a scholarship at the Chorrillos Military Academy in Lima, Peru, Noriega returned to Panama and was commissioned a sub lieutenant in the National Guard. Close to the important military figure Omar Torrijos, Noriega advanced quickly and was appointed chief of military intelligence when Torrijos seized power in 1969. In that position, Noriega became the most feared man in the country. After the death of Torrijos in an aeroplane crash in 1981, Noriega became chief of staff to General Dario Paredes, head of the National Guard. Succeeding him in 1983, Noriega promoted himself to general and gained effective control of Panama's government.

In 1986 charges were made of Noriega's involvement in drug trafficking, money laundering, and as a double agent for both the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Cuba's intelligence agency. He was also suspected of involvement in the murder of one of his opponents, Hugo Spadafora. When he responded by cracking down on civil liberties in 1987, the US Senate urged the government of Panama to remove Noriega from office and to investigate his activities. In 1988 Noriega was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida for violating racketeering and drug laws, and for money laundering. In December 1989 US forces invaded Panama and arrested him. He was transferred to Florida to stand trial. The trial began in 1991, with Noriega's defence relying on his former connection with the CIA.

In April 1992 Noriega was found guilty of eight counts of cocaine trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering, the first time in history that a US jury had convicted a foreign head of state on criminal charges. He was sentenced to two concurrent 20-year terms, five concurrent 15-year terms, and one 5-year term—a total of 40 years’ imprisonment, a term reduced to 30 years in 1999. In April 1999 Panama applied for Noriega's extradition for executing army officers who had attempted a coup against his rule in 1989. A further extradition decision by the US courts in 2007 paved the way for Noriega to be sent to France on his release to serve a ten-year sentence for money laundering, a crime for which he had been convicted in absentia in 1999.