The FBI in Little Rock began investigating Seal's operation at the Mena airport in February 1984, according to the recently released FBI document. WebA Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, Barry Seal was eventually forced to move his drug smuggling operation after he drew the attention of Louisiana authorities. The film was originally titled Mena and in 2014 was featured on The Black List, a survey showcasing the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. OGC-95-51546 The median income for a household in the city was $22,671, and the median income for a family was $30,164. Seal is convicted but sentenced to only 1,000 hours of community service. In February 1986, Seal was killed in a hail of machine-gun fire outside a Baton Rouge Salvation Army halfway house after allegedly crossing Pablo Escobar and the Medellin drug cartel. 
Responding to Freedom of Information pressure from Judicial Watch, the CIA released a highly redacted version of the full Mena Report. There are 171 active homes for sale in Mena, AR. Homes for sale in Mena, AR have a median listing home price of $184,750. Hadaway. Follow him on Twitter @micah_morrison. He said parts of it could have been provided to people under previous information requests. We also learn there is a lot the government still does not want us to know. Seal, a pilot, moved much of his smuggling operation from Baton Rouge to Rich Mountain Aviation at the Mena Intermountain Airport, according to the May 1986 FBI memo. Tips: [emailprotected], Investigative Bulletin is published by Judicial Watch. Additionally, Seal's ties to the Medelln Cartel did not begin after being kidnapped while refueling his plane in Colombia, but when he met a smuggler who flew for cartel operative Jorge Ochoa during a flight home from Honduras where he served nine months in a local jail after being caught smuggling drugs in 1979. Seale was to have visited Barry Seal the night he died. OS/OPS. In 1901, an African-American man accused of kicking a White girl, was removed from the jail, beaten, and hanged. On Watch: The #COVID19 Crisis on our Southern Border the Media ISN'T Coveri On Watch: Marxism & the Current Insurrection in America. 1. Seal, a pilot, moved much of his smuggling operation from Baton Rouge to Rich Mountain Aviation at the Mena Intermountain Airport, according to the May 1986 FBI memo. Her training included towing ariel targets and specialized in ferring B-26 Martin Marauders as like the ones used in the Bay of Pigs. Bush's] son meet Barry in the hallway," he said. Connor Hagan, a spokesman for the FBI in Little Rock, said the release of so much information into the FBI's public "vault" doesn't mean that the documents haven't previously been made public. by the House Banking and Financial Services Committee in This is distributed free of charge in Mena, coming out each Wednesday. This page was last edited on 9 March 2023, at 01:09. [18][19], In May 2015, Universal set the film for release on January 6, 2017. (OCA) has received information from Chairman James Leach Contributions are received from Theres no doubt Seal was a drug runner mixed up with arms smuggling. "I just wanted to put a little fun thing between Barry and George W. Bush to just sort of say, 'We're not ignorant of those allegations,'" said Liman. "I just wanted to just sort of say, 'We're not ignorant of those allegations, said American Made director Doug Liman. In 1910, the railroad moved its shop facilities from Mena to Heavener, Oklahoma. American pilot Jimmy Lee Garland was seriously injured and rushed to a local hospital. The Office of Congressional Affairs Seal is the locus for many of the elaborate conspiracy theories surrounding Mena, including that arms were shipped south by U.S. authorities to the Contras opposed to the Nicaraguan Sandinista regime and cocaine came back on the return trips. Late 1980s With NSA - 21 July 1995 "The aircraft flew with various cameras used to obtain photographic evidence of the Sandinistas in the act of smuggling narcotics," Sherwood wrote. You really have to talk to the FBI because they are not telling the truth about Seal. Mena now has a tabloid circular, The Polk County Pulse, owned by KENA Radio. RELEASE^DATE: The state really had next to nothing to do with it. One mission involved a C-123K cargo plane that was outfitted at the Mena airport. Victory: Lawsuit Moves Forward for Whistleblower! Web170 Homes For Sale in Mena, AR. Mena City Hall, also known as the Old Post Office, is the city hall of Mena, Arkansas, located at 520 North Mena Street. regarding a search request on the late Adler Barriman Because it's really fun." A joint investigation by the FBI, Arkansas State Police and IRS revealed that Barry Seal used the Mena airport for smuggling activity from late 1980 until March, 1984, according to the documents released last week. It was the Defense Department. "The estimated value of the narcotics smuggled through the facility is $3 [billion] to $5 billion. records search request(Tab A)for any information on various What exactly went on during that training exercise? According to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, all charges and cases dealing with Seal and others with connections to the Mena airport were dropped because of potential national security risks. [13] Many homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. July 23, 2009. It is a two-story brick building with Classical Revival and Colonial Revival features, designed by Treasury architect James Wetmore and built in 1917. Public education for elementary and secondary school students is available from two school districts:[20]. Browse photos, see new properties, get open house info, and research neighborhoods on Trulia. And the U.S. was covertly backing the Contras. "You know, there's dramatic license there, but both [Seal and Bush] were pilots, and I just thought it would be a cool moment to have [H.W. Thumbnail photo credits: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive; David James / Universal Pictures; Rich Pilling / Getty Images. According to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, all charges and cases dealing with Seal and others with connections to the Mena airport were dropped because of potential national security risks. The population density was 836.4 inhabitants per square mile (322.9/km2). WebHouse of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 The Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) asked me to reply to your April 2 and April 20, 1998 letters to him requesting further information regarding Barry Seal and associated matters. They ask Seal to get photos that tie the Medelln Cartel to the Nicaraguan Sandinistas. Homes for sale in Mena, AR have a median listing home price of $184,750. (Representatives for George W. Bush did not respond to a request to comment.). WebDesignated CP. It finished number one in 11 of the territories, including the UK, where it replaced five-time champ Dunkirk. MODIFIED TERMS OF REFERENCE Staff Mena Arkansas News covering Polk County and the surrounding area. "I resigned from the office in November of 1985, and my successor took over the investigation. For a portion of this time, the alleged ringleader of the drug smuggling, Seal, appeared to have been working with the CIA and the Drug Enforcement Agency. "At the time Seal started cooperating with DEA Miami, he had an established base at Rich Mountain Aviation and had frequent contact with subjects," according to the document. 
The New York Times and "West 57th," a CBS television news show, were working on stories about CIA activities at the Mena airport, according to a 1987 FBI memo released last week. It is a two-story brick building with Classical Revival and Colonial Revival features, designed by Treasury architect James Wetmore and built in 1917. WebAdler Berriman " Barry " Seal (July 16, 1939 February 19, 1986) was an American commercial airline pilot who became a major drug smuggler for the Medelln Cartel. It is the first film directed by Liman to be released by Universal Pictures since The Bourne Identity in 2002, and played in 2D and IMAX in select theaters. A private school in Mena, Hendrix Academy, closed in 1905. SUBJECT: Video Tape Review: National Empowerment 28-Sep-2009 Those arrests to Barry Seal were recruiting tactics used by the CIA to narrow paths for a highly talented pilot as Seal so the CIA could totally control him then kite him when needed. If the FBI did not report any connection to a lumbe rcompany with offices in Orlando, Perry and Tallahassee Florida, then they are lying through their teeth. Location of Mena in Polk County, Arkansas. Seal was a Medelln pilot who operated out of Mena, Arkansas, between 1976 and 1984, transporting cannabis, cocaine and later quaaludes from South America to the US. from the Subcommittee on Crime of the House Judiciary Committee, Track one and two? Seal is the locus for many of the elaborate conspiracy theories surrounding Mena, including that arms were shipped south by U.S. authorities to the Contras opposed to the Nicaraguan Sandinista regime and cocaine came back on the return trips. In fact, practically the entire seven pages of the CIA report describing the joint Defense Department exercise is redacted. [31], Seal was unapologetic about his weapons and drug smuggling operations, even stating once in a television interview, "Whether you call it soldier of fortune or what, it's a way of life for me. A 1983 document in the recently released trove referred to a telephone conversation between the FBI and Polk County Sheriff A.L. In 1983, the DEA arrested him on drug smuggling charges. WebSeal began serving his probation January 25, 1986. were compounded when the Internal Revenue Service presented him with a $29 million tax bill. Hagan said he didn't know how many pages of material on Seal have yet to be made public by the FBI. 
"Toward the end, he was highly tense and nervous," Seale, his "The IRS took everything." Adler Barriman "Barry" Seal The goal was to expose the involvement of the Nicaraguan Sandinista regime as a major supplier of cocaine from Colombia.". The small town gradually becomes wealthy as the hub of U.S. cocaine trafficking. WebSeal began serving his probation January 25, 1986. were compounded when the Internal Revenue Service presented him with a $29 million tax bill. Goodfellas is one of my favorite movies and I was always on the hunt to try to find my version of that. I enjoy it and I'm going to keep doing it. Many names in the documents have been redacted. "There is a prosecutor in Arkansas who was told to back off. 
She was also trained in ariel low level reconnaissance. As for the Seals Mena-related activities? Mena was settled in 1896 and incorporated on September 18 of that year. The FBI in Little Rock began investigating Seal's operation at the Mena airport in February 1984, according to the recently released FBI document. About 12.1% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over. MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD Asa Hutchinson was U.S. attorney for Arkansas' Western District in the early 1980s. "The apparent reason was that the prosecution might have revealed national security information, even though all of the crimes which were the focus of the investigation occurred before Seal became a federal informant.". Seal also flew gun and drug smuggling missions between Mena and Nicaragua as part of a CIA scheme to support the Contras. Seal is purported to have flown guns to South America from Mena and drugs back into the United States, according to the memo. RELEASE^DATE: attorney.". WebA Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, Barry Seal was eventually forced to move his drug smuggling operation after he drew the attention of Louisiana authorities. (NWA Media). A joint investigation by the FBI, Arkansas State Police and IRS revealed that Barry Seal used the Mena airport for smuggling activity from late 1980 until March, 1984, according to the documents released last week. WebTo avoid the authorities, Seal and his family must relocate to the remote town of Mena, Arkansas, and his wife comes to accept the wealth generated by his new life. During the past few years, the activity at the airstrip has aroused the interest of local law enforcement, who then attempted to conduct some investigations but were blocked by the U.S. Terms & conditions/privacy policy apply. "In other words, the charges of drug smuggling and money laundering were not enough to warrant the release of information about the use of the airport in the Iran-Contra Affair," wrote Sherwood for the Arkansas encyclopedia. Seal manages to get the pictures, but the White House releases them as propaganda against the Sandinistas. [14] Filming on the Georgia Unit wrapped on July 12, 2015. Web170 Homes For Sale in Mena, AR. The big four television stations in Mena are KFSM (CBS), KHBS (ABC), KNWA (NBC) and KFTA (Fox). Seal's mysterious activities have spawned books, movies and a cornucopia of conspiracy theories. "I initiated a grand jury investigation in relation to money laundering through the Mena airport in 1985," Hutchinson said Friday. "Barry Seal is like a conspiracy theorist magnet for the left and the right," said Liman. [26], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 85% based on 273 reviews, with an average rating of 6.95/10. INVESTIGATION," AIRED FEB 8, 1996 Request for Information in Connection with FROM: The following day, actual results had the film debuting to $16.8 million, with Kingsman beating out It by a gross of $16.93 million to $16.90 million. What did that unnamed official tell local authorities? I started it and pursued it but was unable to complete it because I left the office. Eventually, he starts stealing money from the Seals and is arrested after Sheriff Joe Downing catches him with a briefcase full of laundered cash. The CIA was operating with immunity in Arkansas. In 1920, the Mena Star advertised the city as 100 percent White. On April 9, 2009, a large and violent tornado devastated the town, killing three and injuring thirty. When Seal was convicted of smuggling charges, he became an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration and testified in several major drug trials. "My father's deputy said he had looked into those specific allegations and found them so without merit that he didn't even put it in the report to deny it because that gives it some weight," Liman said. Theres no doubt Seal was a drug runner mixed up with arms smuggling. Investigators are examining allegations of an international conspiracy involving gun running, cocaine smuggling and the illegal supply network serving the Nicaraguan contra rebels. It feels, for better or worse, like a film he could have made at almost any point in the last 30 years. Washington.D.C.20505 In an Apr. Stilwell donated land to the city in 1906, and a park and campground were constructed. One of her expensive pieces of jewelry is seen on her wrist. [31] Liman has described the film as "a fun lie based on a true story."[33]. [7] It is inspired[8] by the life of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who flew missions for the CIA, and became a drug smuggler for the Medelln Cartel in the 1980s. A monthly historical journal is also published in Mena, "Looking Glass Ouachita Magazine" The monthly is distributed digitally as well as via special editions at local gift shops and restaurants. "The information indicates that Seal was an informant for DEA at the time but also working as an operative of the CIA. Fun. now has a tabloid circular, the DEA arrested him on drug smuggling,! In Arkansas who was told to back off and Financial Services Committee in is... Dea arrested him on drug smuggling charges, he became an informant for DEA at the Mena airport in,! The office, was removed from the office the right, '' he said towing ariel targets and specialized ferring! Local hospital the facility is $ 3 [ billion ] to $ 5 billion photos tie... About Seal us to know ; David James / Universal Pictures ; Rich Pilling / Getty.... 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Responding to Freedom of Information pressure from Judicial Watch, the CIA released a highly redacted version of the full Mena Report. There are 171 active homes for sale in Mena, AR. Homes for sale in Mena, AR have a median listing home price of $184,750. Hadaway. Follow him on Twitter @micah_morrison. He said parts of it could have been provided to people under previous information requests. We also learn there is a lot the government still does not want us to know. Seal, a pilot, moved much of his smuggling operation from Baton Rouge to Rich Mountain Aviation at the Mena Intermountain Airport, according to the May 1986 FBI memo. Tips: [emailprotected], Investigative Bulletin is published by Judicial Watch. Additionally, Seal's ties to the Medelln Cartel did not begin after being kidnapped while refueling his plane in Colombia, but when he met a smuggler who flew for cartel operative Jorge Ochoa during a flight home from Honduras where he served nine months in a local jail after being caught smuggling drugs in 1979. Seale was to have visited Barry Seal the night he died. OS/OPS. In 1901, an African-American man accused of kicking a White girl, was removed from the jail, beaten, and hanged. On Watch: The #COVID19 Crisis on our Southern Border the Media ISN'T Coveri On Watch: Marxism & the Current Insurrection in America. 1. Seal, a pilot, moved much of his smuggling operation from Baton Rouge to Rich Mountain Aviation at the Mena Intermountain Airport, according to the May 1986 FBI memo. Her training included towing ariel targets and specialized in ferring B-26 Martin Marauders as like the ones used in the Bay of Pigs. Bush's] son meet Barry in the hallway," he said. Connor Hagan, a spokesman for the FBI in Little Rock, said the release of so much information into the FBI's public "vault" doesn't mean that the documents haven't previously been made public. by the House Banking and Financial Services Committee in This is distributed free of charge in Mena, coming out each Wednesday. This page was last edited on 9 March 2023, at 01:09. [18][19], In May 2015, Universal set the film for release on January 6, 2017. (OCA) has received information from Chairman James Leach Contributions are received from Theres no doubt Seal was a drug runner mixed up with arms smuggling. "I just wanted to put a little fun thing between Barry and George W. Bush to just sort of say, 'We're not ignorant of those allegations,'" said Liman. "I just wanted to just sort of say, 'We're not ignorant of those allegations, said American Made director Doug Liman. In 1910, the railroad moved its shop facilities from Mena to Heavener, Oklahoma. American pilot Jimmy Lee Garland was seriously injured and rushed to a local hospital. The Office of Congressional Affairs Seal is the locus for many of the elaborate conspiracy theories surrounding Mena, including that arms were shipped south by U.S. authorities to the Contras opposed to the Nicaraguan Sandinista regime and cocaine came back on the return trips. Late 1980s With NSA - 21 July 1995 "The aircraft flew with various cameras used to obtain photographic evidence of the Sandinistas in the act of smuggling narcotics," Sherwood wrote. You really have to talk to the FBI because they are not telling the truth about Seal. Mena now has a tabloid circular, The Polk County Pulse, owned by KENA Radio. RELEASE^DATE: The state really had next to nothing to do with it. One mission involved a C-123K cargo plane that was outfitted at the Mena airport. Victory: Lawsuit Moves Forward for Whistleblower! Web170 Homes For Sale in Mena, AR. Mena City Hall, also known as the Old Post Office, is the city hall of Mena, Arkansas, located at 520 North Mena Street. regarding a search request on the late Adler Barriman Because it's really fun." A joint investigation by the FBI, Arkansas State Police and IRS revealed that Barry Seal used the Mena airport for smuggling activity from late 1980 until March, 1984, according to the documents released last week. It was the Defense Department. "The estimated value of the narcotics smuggled through the facility is $3 [billion] to $5 billion. records search request(Tab A)for any information on various What exactly went on during that training exercise? According to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, all charges and cases dealing with Seal and others with connections to the Mena airport were dropped because of potential national security risks. [13] Many homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. July 23, 2009. It is a two-story brick building with Classical Revival and Colonial Revival features, designed by Treasury architect James Wetmore and built in 1917. Public education for elementary and secondary school students is available from two school districts:[20]. Browse photos, see new properties, get open house info, and research neighborhoods on Trulia. And the U.S. was covertly backing the Contras. "You know, there's dramatic license there, but both [Seal and Bush] were pilots, and I just thought it would be a cool moment to have [H.W. Thumbnail photo credits: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive; David James / Universal Pictures; Rich Pilling / Getty Images. According to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, all charges and cases dealing with Seal and others with connections to the Mena airport were dropped because of potential national security risks. The population density was 836.4 inhabitants per square mile (322.9/km2). WebHouse of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 The Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) asked me to reply to your April 2 and April 20, 1998 letters to him requesting further information regarding Barry Seal and associated matters. They ask Seal to get photos that tie the Medelln Cartel to the Nicaraguan Sandinistas. Homes for sale in Mena, AR have a median listing home price of $184,750. (Representatives for George W. Bush did not respond to a request to comment.). WebDesignated CP. It finished number one in 11 of the territories, including the UK, where it replaced five-time champ Dunkirk. MODIFIED TERMS OF REFERENCE Staff Mena Arkansas News covering Polk County and the surrounding area. "I resigned from the office in November of 1985, and my successor took over the investigation. For a portion of this time, the alleged ringleader of the drug smuggling, Seal, appeared to have been working with the CIA and the Drug Enforcement Agency. "At the time Seal started cooperating with DEA Miami, he had an established base at Rich Mountain Aviation and had frequent contact with subjects," according to the document. The New York Times and "West 57th," a CBS television news show, were working on stories about CIA activities at the Mena airport, according to a 1987 FBI memo released last week. It is a two-story brick building with Classical Revival and Colonial Revival features, designed by Treasury architect James Wetmore and built in 1917. WebAdler Berriman " Barry " Seal (July 16, 1939 February 19, 1986) was an American commercial airline pilot who became a major drug smuggler for the Medelln Cartel. It is the first film directed by Liman to be released by Universal Pictures since The Bourne Identity in 2002, and played in 2D and IMAX in select theaters. A private school in Mena, Hendrix Academy, closed in 1905. SUBJECT: Video Tape Review: National Empowerment 28-Sep-2009 Those arrests to Barry Seal were recruiting tactics used by the CIA to narrow paths for a highly talented pilot as Seal so the CIA could totally control him then kite him when needed. If the FBI did not report any connection to a lumbe rcompany with offices in Orlando, Perry and Tallahassee Florida, then they are lying through their teeth. Location of Mena in Polk County, Arkansas. Seal was a Medelln pilot who operated out of Mena, Arkansas, between 1976 and 1984, transporting cannabis, cocaine and later quaaludes from South America to the US. from the Subcommittee on Crime of the House Judiciary Committee, Track one and two? Seal is the locus for many of the elaborate conspiracy theories surrounding Mena, including that arms were shipped south by U.S. authorities to the Contras opposed to the Nicaraguan Sandinista regime and cocaine came back on the return trips. In fact, practically the entire seven pages of the CIA report describing the joint Defense Department exercise is redacted. [31], Seal was unapologetic about his weapons and drug smuggling operations, even stating once in a television interview, "Whether you call it soldier of fortune or what, it's a way of life for me. A 1983 document in the recently released trove referred to a telephone conversation between the FBI and Polk County Sheriff A.L. In 1983, the DEA arrested him on drug smuggling charges. WebSeal began serving his probation January 25, 1986. were compounded when the Internal Revenue Service presented him with a $29 million tax bill. Hagan said he didn't know how many pages of material on Seal have yet to be made public by the FBI. "Toward the end, he was highly tense and nervous," Seale, his "The IRS took everything." Adler Barriman "Barry" Seal The goal was to expose the involvement of the Nicaraguan Sandinista regime as a major supplier of cocaine from Colombia.". The small town gradually becomes wealthy as the hub of U.S. cocaine trafficking. WebSeal began serving his probation January 25, 1986. were compounded when the Internal Revenue Service presented him with a $29 million tax bill. Goodfellas is one of my favorite movies and I was always on the hunt to try to find my version of that. I enjoy it and I'm going to keep doing it. Many names in the documents have been redacted. "There is a prosecutor in Arkansas who was told to back off. She was also trained in ariel low level reconnaissance. As for the Seals Mena-related activities? Mena was settled in 1896 and incorporated on September 18 of that year. The FBI in Little Rock began investigating Seal's operation at the Mena airport in February 1984, according to the recently released FBI document. About 12.1% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over. MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD Asa Hutchinson was U.S. attorney for Arkansas' Western District in the early 1980s. "The apparent reason was that the prosecution might have revealed national security information, even though all of the crimes which were the focus of the investigation occurred before Seal became a federal informant.". Seal also flew gun and drug smuggling missions between Mena and Nicaragua as part of a CIA scheme to support the Contras. Seal is purported to have flown guns to South America from Mena and drugs back into the United States, according to the memo. RELEASE^DATE: attorney.". WebA Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, Barry Seal was eventually forced to move his drug smuggling operation after he drew the attention of Louisiana authorities. (NWA Media). A joint investigation by the FBI, Arkansas State Police and IRS revealed that Barry Seal used the Mena airport for smuggling activity from late 1980 until March, 1984, according to the documents released last week. WebTo avoid the authorities, Seal and his family must relocate to the remote town of Mena, Arkansas, and his wife comes to accept the wealth generated by his new life. During the past few years, the activity at the airstrip has aroused the interest of local law enforcement, who then attempted to conduct some investigations but were blocked by the U.S. Terms & conditions/privacy policy apply. "In other words, the charges of drug smuggling and money laundering were not enough to warrant the release of information about the use of the airport in the Iran-Contra Affair," wrote Sherwood for the Arkansas encyclopedia. Seal manages to get the pictures, but the White House releases them as propaganda against the Sandinistas. [14] Filming on the Georgia Unit wrapped on July 12, 2015. Web170 Homes For Sale in Mena, AR. The big four television stations in Mena are KFSM (CBS), KHBS (ABC), KNWA (NBC) and KFTA (Fox). Seal's mysterious activities have spawned books, movies and a cornucopia of conspiracy theories. "I initiated a grand jury investigation in relation to money laundering through the Mena airport in 1985," Hutchinson said Friday. "Barry Seal is like a conspiracy theorist magnet for the left and the right," said Liman. [26], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 85% based on 273 reviews, with an average rating of 6.95/10. INVESTIGATION," AIRED FEB 8, 1996 Request for Information in Connection with FROM: The following day, actual results had the film debuting to $16.8 million, with Kingsman beating out It by a gross of $16.93 million to $16.90 million. What did that unnamed official tell local authorities? I started it and pursued it but was unable to complete it because I left the office. Eventually, he starts stealing money from the Seals and is arrested after Sheriff Joe Downing catches him with a briefcase full of laundered cash. The CIA was operating with immunity in Arkansas. In 1920, the Mena Star advertised the city as 100 percent White. On April 9, 2009, a large and violent tornado devastated the town, killing three and injuring thirty. When Seal was convicted of smuggling charges, he became an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration and testified in several major drug trials. "My father's deputy said he had looked into those specific allegations and found them so without merit that he didn't even put it in the report to deny it because that gives it some weight," Liman said. Theres no doubt Seal was a drug runner mixed up with arms smuggling. Investigators are examining allegations of an international conspiracy involving gun running, cocaine smuggling and the illegal supply network serving the Nicaraguan contra rebels. It feels, for better or worse, like a film he could have made at almost any point in the last 30 years. Washington.D.C.20505 In an Apr. Stilwell donated land to the city in 1906, and a park and campground were constructed. One of her expensive pieces of jewelry is seen on her wrist. [31] Liman has described the film as "a fun lie based on a true story."[33]. [7] It is inspired[8] by the life of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who flew missions for the CIA, and became a drug smuggler for the Medelln Cartel in the 1980s. A monthly historical journal is also published in Mena, "Looking Glass Ouachita Magazine" The monthly is distributed digitally as well as via special editions at local gift shops and restaurants. "The information indicates that Seal was an informant for DEA at the time but also working as an operative of the CIA. Fun. now has a tabloid circular, the DEA arrested him on drug smuggling,! In Arkansas who was told to back off and Financial Services Committee in is... Dea arrested him on drug smuggling charges, he became an informant for DEA at the Mena airport in,! 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