[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1705-E1706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DRUGS AND THE CIA: WE MUST INVESTIGATE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 25, 1996

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I urge an immediate and 
comprehensive congressional investigation of recent allegations of a 
connection between the Central Intelligence Agency and the introduction 
of crack cocaine in the United States.
  The San Jose Mercury News has published a series of articles 
providing considerable evidence that crack cocaine was introduced in 
the United States in order to fund the operations of the Nicaraguan 
Contras. Because

[[Page E1706]]

the Contras were in turn established and supported by the Central 
Intelligence Agency, there is considerable question as to whether the 
CIA knew about this trafficking operations, or even supported it.
  This is a very troubling allegation. The possibility that our own 
Government supported, implicitly or explicitly, the sale of crack 
cocaine in the United States is deeply, deeply disturbing.
  I have written to CIA Director John Deutch urging a full 
investigation of this matter. But Congress, which is responsible for 
the oversight of our Government, must also investigate this matter 
independently.
  I thank the members of the Select Intelligence Committee, including 
Chairman Larry Combest and Congressman Norm Dicks, for their attention 
to this matter and the pursuit of an investigation in a full and 
expeditious manner.
  As long as the questions raised by the Mercury News story remain, we 
must examine the role of the CIA in drug trafficking in the United 
States. We cannot rest until this manner is fully and fairly 
investigated.

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