Manuel Noriega Biography

He was commissioned in the Panama National Guard in 1967 and promoted to lieutenant in 1968. It has been alleged that he was part of the military coup that removed Arnulfo Arias from power, although in Noriega's account of the 1968 coup, neither he nor his mentor Omar Torrijos were involved. In the power struggle that followed, including a failed coup attempt in 1969, Noriega supported Torrijos. He received a promotion to lieutenant colonel and was appointed chief of military intelligence by Torrijos.

In this post, he conducted a ruthless campaign against peasant guerrillas in western Panama, and there are allegations that he orchestrated the "disappearances" of political opponents. Noriega had earned a reputation as the most feared man in the country.

Taking command of the army in 1983, Noriega entrenched himself as the dominant power in Panama and gave no sign of willingness to return the government to civilian control. He not only refused to relinquish power, but also engaged in election fraud, drug trafficking, money laundering, espionage against the United States and even murder.

Political leaders in Washington urged Noriega to step down in early 1988, but both a U.S. indictment on drug charges and economic sanctions proved ineffective. Noriega acquired a highly unsavoury image in the American press, but matters became more complicated with the disclosure that Noriega had been in the pay of the U.S. Army, and the CIA, for more than 30 years.

He had been working as a double agent, collecting money from the United States, while at the same time working for Communist governments, turning over highly classified U.S. intelligence materials to Cuba, facilitating the sale of restricted U.S. technology to Soviet bloc countries, and selling arms to Cuban-backed guerrillas in Latin America.

Alleging involvement in drug trafficking, the US authorities ordered his arrest in 1989 and 13,000 US troops invaded Panama to support the 12,000 already there. He surrendered in January 1990, and was taken to the USA for trial.

He was found guilty in 1992 and sentenced to 40 years imprisonment.