Nexus - 0209 - New Times Magazine-pages

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drugs. I submit to you that we have lost. Did we ever intend to win? Reporter: "What exactly was in the plane that y« [Cut to a scene with female reporter interviewing Mike Tulliver, a for- Lauderdale?" mer pilot who flew drug runs.] Betzner: "Oh there was some C4 explosives Reporter: "The government decided to get into the drug business guns. It was stacked all the way to the ceiling." in order to pay for the Contras? The American goverment? Reporter: "How many pounds of weaponry?" Mike Tulliver: As incredulous as it may sound, | believe that Betzner: "| would estimated around 2500 poun they not only decided to get into it | think that they orchestrated right away that it wasn’t the private guns that the whole thing." were that important. It was what was coming Reporter (narrating): "Mike Tulliver is a pilot who's principle buy much larger and better and more sophisticz occupation has been smuggling drugs. He's currently —— a was unaccounted for cash." three and one half year sentence in a federal prison in Miami for (Reporter narrating] a conviction unrelated to the secret flights he made for the Contras. He says he was approached in 1985 by long-time CIA operatives to run what they called ‘supplies'.” ",.. under heavy security Ramone Rodriguez Capitol Hill. Ocean Hunter, it appears, is jus Under oath, he told Senators that the drug con larger. That he’d handled a direct 10 million do tributions from the Colombian cocaine cartels to “From 1977 to 1979 Armitage remained in Rodriguez: "Outside the United States drug : ngkok opening an rating a business powertul people. They have cash. The CIA dea Bankok oprng and onesie nbuiest Goeetaurh Tre a s g pany. try's policies and politics they're going to run t This company was in-fact merely a front for with the drug dealers. It cannot be done any oth : . * * : Reporter: "Do you have any evidence, any pr secret operations conducting opium money whether the large sums of cash you had delivere out of Southeast Asia to Tehran, Iran and the whether it actually made it to the Contras?” e ” Rodriguez: "There is no way to trace cash. My Nugan Hand Bank. all of it got there, but I’m a cynic." Reporter: "Where would it have ended up?" [Cut to clip with George Morales] Rodriguez: "| would say that you're gonna find Reporter: "Why would the CIA allow drug planes to come into eggs, foreign accounts, waiting for the day when the United States loaded with coke?" is no longer popular, when Congress votes it out Morales: "Money." they have to do something else for a living." Reporter narrating: wor Morales is a world champion boat [Back to Bo at the luncheon] racer. He is also a world reknowned cocaine trafficker whose Point is there are three sources now all saying o empire extended from Colombia to Miami. Morales was indict- Look how bureaucrats fall! You break wind wrong ed for running cocaine in 1984. He says the CIA used his indict- in an election year. ment to pressure him into providing planes, pilots and three mil- Why hasn’t Mr. Armitage been investigated? W lion dollars in cash to the Contras. He too is in federal prison I was told by telephone in Bangkok, “Bo, if you do awaiting sentencing on the ‘84 charge." Reporter: "So you're saying that drug planes were allowed into the states as long as somebody was kicking money into the Contra coffer." Morales: "Definitely." Reporter: “Is this like just a one-time occurrence? Somebody snuck in?" Morales: "No." Reporter: "Frequent?" Morales: "Yes." Reporter: "Routine?" Morales: "Yes." [Back to Tulliver] "Believe it or not, the entire business is compartmen- talised. I’m like a Teamster. I’m in transportation. You've got people who are in loading. You've got people who are in offloading. You've got people who are in dis- tribution. You've got people who are in sales. It’s like an IBM situation." [Reporter narrating again] “Gary Betzner was one of George Morale’s top pilots. He too is in federal prison in Miami on an unrelated dru; conviction. His sentence is 15 years. Like Morales ani Tulliver he has little to gain from talking about these drug flights." Betzner: "i took two loads, small aircraft loads of weapons to John Hull’s ranch in Costa Rica and returned back to Florida with approximately 1000 kilos of cocaine." everything that you have done, you’re going to ge! “Everybody loves you. Nobody wants to hurt you put a war hero in jail, but if you don’t cooperate y the government.” And I said, “Joe, whose gover hurt?” (lots of applause) I am sick and tired of watching the result of pc Reporter: "What exactly was in the plane that you flew from Fort Lauderdale?" Betzner: "Oh there was some C4 explosives, M60 machine guns. It was stacked all the way to the ceiling." Reporter: "How many pounds of weaponry?" Betzner: "| would estimated around 2500 pounds. | understood right away that it wasn’t the private guns that went down that were that important. It was what was coming back that could buy much larger and better and more sophisticated weapons. It was unaccounted for cash." [Reporter narrating] ",.. under heavy security Ramone Rodriguez was brought to Capitol Hill. Ocean Hunter, it appears, is just the beginning. Under oath, he told Senators that the drug connection is much larger. That he’d handled a direct 10 million dollars in cash con- tributions from the Colombian cocaine cartels to the Contras." Rodriguez: “Outside the United States drug dealers are very powerful people. They have cash. The CIA deals primarily with items outside of the US. —— going to deal in foreign coun- trys policies and politics Te going to run up against or run wth fe drug remy It a tdi any other = Reporter: "Do you have any evidence, any proof, any ideas of whether the large sums of cash you had delivered to the Contras, whether it actually made it to the Contras?” Rodriguez: "There is no way to trace cash. My guess it that not all of it got there, but I’m a cynic." Reporter: "Where would it have ended up?" Rodriguez: "| would say that you're gonna find a lot of it in nest eggs, foreign accounts, waiting for the day when the Contra issue is no longer popular, when Congress votes it out of existance and they have to do something else for a living." [Back to Bo at the luncheon] Point is there are three sources now all saying one little bureaucrat. Look how bureaucrats fall! You break wind wrong, you’re out of here in an election year. Why hasn’t Mr. Armitage been investigated? When we came back I was told by telephone in Bangkok, “Bo, if you don’t erase and forget everything that you have done, you’re going to get hurt.” I was told, “Everybody loves you. Nobody wants to hurt you. No one wants to put a war hero in jail, but if you don’t cooperate you're going to hurt the government.” And I said, “Joe, whose government am I gonna hurt?” (lots of applause) I am sick and tired of watching the result of poor politics sending NEXUS #33 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1992