[Antony_nz]

How was Manuel Noriega involved with Iran–Contra affair?

I finding it hard to trust Wikipedia here. It list him as a participant. But gives no other details.
Not on the Manuel Noriega or the Oran-Contra affair article.  

Any amateur historians wanna step up and tell me?

[dj]

Why do you ask this question and why Noriega?  This is a can of worms on this topic.  He was just the President of nation with banks that were allegedly involved in $ laundering.   He was the fall guy.  Many other banks were involved besides the ones in his country.  About 5 years after that BCCI scandal hit with allegedly more involvement with dirty banks.  Been out of the news now for 20 something years.  Banking/Financial industry is full of crooks nothing unique about Noriega or his banks in that regard.

[Antony_nz]

Im writing a AAR for operation just Cause. I am trying to give a balanced account. But fuck its complicated. Just cause is a perfect example of "Its who you ask". There is a lot of different news sources portraying it in a different light.

ANYWAY!
Its just that Manuel Noriega was listed as a participant in the Iran afair. I didn't understand that Contra was in fact the south American rebel group. I now understand that the phrase Contra-Iran affair refers to this separate things. Before i thought it was only talking about the Iran deal.
I asked reddit here. http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/30l0nw/how_was_manuel_noriega_a_participant_of_the/
 
Thanks for the reply.

[johnsilver]

[Antony_nz]

He was a lot of things.  
But i welcome discussion.
Cheers.

[sod98]

It was the time of Ronald Reagan and Oliver North. US backed Contras would produce the cocaine that was sold into the US via the CIA. The funds raised would then be used to buy arms from Israel who in turn would sell them onto a Iranian group that could arrange the release of 7 US hostages from memory. This group turned out to be the Iranian Govt. US would then sell Israel more weapons. Of course these contras were CIA backed and their purpose much like ISIS today was to over throw a Govt - the Sandinista Govt in Nicaragua in this case. General Manuel Noriega offered his services to assassinate the Heads of the Nicaraguan Govt in return for the US to keep looking the other way over the drugs, murders etc. After all he was a former CIA Agent turned US backed dictator. The main reason why he was removed from power as he had too much dirt on the US over their dealings with him - the usual miscreants were involved - Bush, Cheney, Gates etc. Just a blue print for whats happening in the Middle East today really - more drugs flowing out of Afghanistan than before the invasion. CIA is known as the biggest drug cartel in the world and the most protected. Read Jihad by a Brit on Afghanistan during Soviet times. Don't read wiki as it's more often incorrect, check out references for books on the topic is most of the time better.