Barry Seal
| Barry Seal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Adler Berriman Seal July 16, 1939 Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Died | February 19, 1986 (aged 46) Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Cause of death | Gunshot |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Pilot, Drug Smuggler |
| Criminal charge | Conspiracy to smuggle narcotics |
Adler Berriman "Barry" Seal (July 16, 1939 – February 19, 1986) was an American smuggler of drugs and arms, aircraft pilot, dealer, and money launderer who flew flights for the Medellín Cartel.
Seal, born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the son of Mary Lou (née Delcambre) and Benjamin Curtis Seal, a candy wholesaler and KKK member. He began flying at the age of 15. In 1955, aged 16, he received his airman certificate and joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP).
As a commercial airline pilot, Seal flew for TWA from 1966 until 1974, when he was fired by the company.
Seal was employed by the Medellín Cartel as a pilot and drug smuggler. He transported numerous shipments of cocaine from Colombia to the United States and earned as much as $500,000 per flight.
After successful runs into his home base in Louisiana he moved operations to an infamous airport facility in Mena, Arkansas. There he bought, sold, and operated many planes. This includes the C-123 transport plane, supplied to him by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), that was famously used in the Nicaragua sting operation.
Seal was eventually arrested in connection with his drug smuggling activities. In a Florida federal court, he was indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. After his sentencing, Seal approached the DEA and offered to cooperate with the government as an informant. Federal officials agreed to use him as an informant and mentioned his cooperation during hearings in which Seal sought a reduction of his sentence. With an agreement reached, Seal began working as a federal informant in March 1984.
According to the Frontline: Godfather of Cocaine investigation, Ernst "Jake" Jacobson was Seal's DEA handler during this period. Jacobson claims he still has the high-tech message encrypter which he gave Seal. In order to mitigate his 1984 arrest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for money laundering and Quaalude smuggling, Seal agreed to testify against his former employers and associates in the drug trade, and thereby contributed to putting several of them in jail. Among those Seal testified against were Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands Norman Saunders and members of the Medellín Cartel. Seal also testified before the President's Commission on Organized Crime in October 1985.
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