Noriega, Manuel << nawr YAY gah, mah NWEHL >> Antonio (1934-2017), was a military leader who controlled Panama from 1983 to 1989. He later was convicted of a number of crimes in the United States, France, and Panama and died while imprisoned.
Noriega was born on Feb. 11, 1934, in Panama City. He graduated from a military academy in Peru in 1962. That year, Noriega enlisted in Panama’s military. He soon became a lieutenant. Following a military take-over of the government in 1968, he quickly rose through the ranks. Noriega became commander of Panama’s military intelligence agency in 1970 and expanded his power because of the secret knowledge he possessed.
Noriega took charge of the military in 1983 and became increasingly involved in the drug trade in Latin America. Beginning in 1987, the United States tried to force him to resign. In 1988, two U.S. federal grand juries in Florida formally charged Noriega for drug trafficking and racketeering. Racketeering involves illegal activities usually associated with organized crime groups.
In December 1989, U.S. President George H. W. Bush ordered troops into Panama. He said the action was necessary to protect Americans in Panama and defend the Panama Canal. He also cited the killing of a U.S. marine by Panamanian soldiers and drug trafficking charges against Noriega. In January 1990, Noriega surrendered to U.S. officials and was taken to the United States to stand trial. In 1992, he was convicted on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering and was sent to prison. In 1993 and 1994, Panamanian courts convicted Noriega of involvement in the murders of two of his political opponents, and in 1999, a French court convicted him of money laundering. Noriega did not leave prison for any of those trials.
Noriega completed his U.S. prison term in 2007. In 2010, the United States sent Noriega to France to face a new trial for money laundering. He was convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail. In 2011, France extradited (handed over) Noriega to Panama, where he began serving a prison sentence for crimes he committed while in power there. Noriega died on May 29, 2017.
