The Panama Canal Zone and the National Guard

For two decades, Manuel Noriega stamped his authority on Panama - first as the country’s brutal intelligence chief, and later, from 1983-89, as its de facto military ruler. A gangster up to his neck in drug trafficking, gun running and organised crime. But also, a key asset of the CIA. How did a poor boy from Panama grow up to become such a chameleon on the world stage? And why does so much of the Noriega story remain in the shadows?

A Noiser production, written by Duncan Barrett.

This is Part 1 of 3.

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