20-02-2017, 06:14 PM
John Riccobono was a Gambino family mafioso who got in trouble with the New York mob because he drew heat on them by kidnapping Jimi Hendrix. He was exiled to Miami where his mafia talents led him to become the main American manager for the Medellin cocaine cartel, smuggling up to 15 billion dollars of cocaine into the US in a bloody campaign. He had changed his name to John Roberts while in exile. When dying of cancer in 2011 he decided to tell all and had famous embedded Iraq War reporter Evan Wright pen his memoirs entitled 'American Desperado'. Riccobono detailed a similar connection and involvement with CIA when they drafted him and Barry Seal into smuggling weapons for cocaine to the Contras. CIA provided the military cargo airplanes and air traffic control military codes to prevent interception, with the understanding that Riccobono's Medellin operation would go untouched if he played ball. There's a good insider's account in 'American Desperado' of how CIA set Barry Seal up to be assassinated by cartel assassinos in order to eliminate a dangerous witness against their Mena program.
Eventually the war on drugs caught up to Riccobono. Part of the reason CIA president Bush invaded Panama was because of the millions in cocaine profits Noriega was protecting in his banks. Riccobono lost his over 100 million in cocaine profits and his main benefactor Noriega in that raid. He went on the lamb in America but was eventually caught. Even though Riccobono was the main American manager for the bloody Medellin Cartel he ended up doing only 3 years in federal prison for an offense most would get life for. The book is worth reading. It is written with a tone of "I may be evil but you are just as bad" and he documents it.
Eventually the war on drugs caught up to Riccobono. Part of the reason CIA president Bush invaded Panama was because of the millions in cocaine profits Noriega was protecting in his banks. Riccobono lost his over 100 million in cocaine profits and his main benefactor Noriega in that raid. He went on the lamb in America but was eventually caught. Even though Riccobono was the main American manager for the bloody Medellin Cartel he ended up doing only 3 years in federal prison for an offense most would get life for. The book is worth reading. It is written with a tone of "I may be evil but you are just as bad" and he documents it.