Thread by @ColonelTowner

1/ PATTERNS
CIA involvement in regime change operations abroad, followed by the relocation of local collaborators or supporters to the US, where some engage in criminal activities—has been documented in various historical contexts.

2/ US support often involved backing dictators, leading to coups or proxy wars. Relocation sometimes occurred through refugee programs, witness protection, or informal channels, and crimes in the US have included terrorism, drug trafficking, conspiracy, and gang violence.

3/ The CIA heavily recruited Cuban exiles after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, training them for operations like the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and Operation Mongoose (aimed at destabilizing Castro).

4/ Many exiles fled to Miami, with US support facilitating their resettlement via refugee programs. Some formed anti-Castro militant groups (e.g., Alpha 66, Omega 7, Brigade 2506).

5/ The exile groups conducted attacks on Cuban interests in the US, including bombings of airlines, embassies, and ships. For instance, in the 1970s–1980s, Omega 7 claimed responsibility for over 50 bombings in Miami and New York, targeting perceived Castro sympathizers.

6/ Luis Posada Carriles, a CIA-trained exile, was linked to the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner (killing 73) and lived in the US despite extradition requests. Some exiles contracted with the CIA on plots against Castro, leading to ties with US criminal networks.

7/ The 1980 Mariel boatlift brought criminals among refugees, contributing to a crime wave in Florida, including murders and drug-related violence.

8/ Groups stockpiled arms for anti-Castro raids, violating US laws; e.g., a 2014 case involved exiles plotting military actions from Miami. They were involved in the assassination of fmr ambassador Letieller, JFK and RFK assassination. Most never faced prosecution.

9/ The CIA ran a "Secret War" in Laos (1960s–1970s), recruiting Hmong fighters under leaders like General Vang Pao. After the 1975 victory of North Vietnam, the US resettled over 100,000 Hmong as refugees, viewing them as allies.

10/ Conspiracy to Overthrow Foreign Governments: In 2007, Vang Pao and 11 others were charged with plotting a coup against Laos from the US, including plans to buy weapons and assassinate leaders, violating the Neutrality Act.

11/ Charges were dropped in 2011 due to evidentiary issues and Vang Pao's death, but it highlighted ongoing militant activities. Historical ties to opium trade in Laos carried over; some Hmong networks were linked to heroin trafficking in the US Midwest in the 1980s–1990s.

12/ Younger Hmong formed gangs in cities like Fresno and Minneapolis, involved in murders, robberies, and drug dealing, often tied to cultural dislocation.

13/ For broader Vietnamese refugees (including South Vietnamese collaborators resettled post-1975), some formed gangs in California.

14/ During the 1979–1992 civil war, the CIA was involved in backed the Salvadoran government and military against rebels who refused to accept colonialism. The CIA provided training and aid to counterinsurgency forces, including death squads.

15/ War refugees fled to the US, with some from government-aligned groups resettled. Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles formed MS-13 in the 1980s for protection, evolving into a transnational gang involved in murders, rape, torture, extortion, and drug trafficking.

16/ Some early MS-13 members had ties to war-era paramilitaries (trained by the CIA). CIA-backed death squad members were relocated into the US via State department and their policies were to ignore their past atrocities.

17/ Nicaragua where the CIA backed Contras (1980s) against Sandinista government via arms, training, and funding (Iran-Contra scandal). Contra leaders and supporters (e.g., drug dealers Juan Norwin Meneses and Oscar Danilo Blandon) operated or resettled in the US.

18/ Drug trafficking: Contras smuggled cocaine into the US, fueling the 1980s crack epidemic in Los Angeles; profits bought weapons, leading to gang violence and thousands of related deaths. Blandon became a DEA informant after arrest offering him additional protection.

19/ In Chile, CIA supported 1973 coup installing dictator Augusto Pinochet; part of broader US-backed network in South America to eliminate resistance to the CIA installed dictator.

20/ Agents like Michael Townley (DINA secret police) relocated to US witness protection after cooperating with investigations. Townley orchestrated the 1976 car bombing in Washington, DC, killing Chilean exile Orlando Letelier and an American, Ronni Moffitt.

21/ He also used Cuban exiles. Illustrating a connection between all the CIA players/networks. Guatemala experienced a 1954 CIA coup installing another dictator. Some of his supporters were resettled in the US. They had ties to Latin America drug networks.

22/ Argentina experience a CIA coup under Operation Condor in 1976; some junta members fled to US amid human rights probes for protection by those responsible for the human rights abuse including the CIA, USAID, and State Department.

23/ The US is actively experiencing BLOWBACK from the CIA operations worldwide. The End.