Noriega Convicted: 30 Years for Drug Trafficking
A federal jury in Miami convicted former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega on eight counts of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering on April 9, 1992. Noriega had been a CIA asset for decades while simultaneously running cocaine through Panama for the Medellin cartel. President George H.W. Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in December 1989 to remove him, an operation that killed 23 American soldiers and hundreds of Panamanian civilians. Noriega surrendered after seeking asylum in the Vatican Embassy, which US forces bombarded with rock music. His 40-year sentence was later reduced to 30 years. After serving 17 years in US prison, he was extradited to France, then Panama, where he died in 2017.
April 9, 1992
34 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on April 9
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