5 Mysterious CIA Black Sites

The Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport, located in the small town of Mena, Arkansas, is an unassuming site that has been the center of allegations involving the CIA, illicit drug trafficking, and covert operations, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.

During the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, the U.S. government was deeply engaged in counteracting the spread of communism in Central America, particularly in Nicaragua, where the Contras, a group of rebel forces, were fighting the communist Sandinista government. The CIA's alleged involvement at the Mena Airport is said to be linked to these operations, particularly the covert support of the Contras.

The most sensational claim is that the CIA used Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport as a hub for smuggling large quantities of drugs into the United States. This operation was allegedly conducted to secretly fund the Contras in Nicaragua, bypassing the Congressional ban on military aid to the group.

The narrative suggests that planes would leave Mena laden with weapons for the Contras and return filled with illegal drugs, which were then distributed in the U.S., with funds then used to buy more weapons for the Contras. According to reports, from 1981 to 1985, the Mena airport was a significant transit point for drugs entering the United States, with an estimated $3 to $5 billion worth of narcotics smuggled through it.

The planes used were likely small, unassuming, and capable of carrying significant payloads. This included single-engine light aircraft like the Piper PA-31 Navajo, known for its reliability and cargo capacity and the Cessna 404 Titan, a sturdy and versatile twin-engine craft, chosen for its balance of speed, range, and discretion.

Central to the Mena operation was the figure of Barry Seal, a notorious drug trafficker and pilot. Seal, who was assassinated in 1986, reportedly used the Mena airport as a base for his extensive cocaine smuggling operations. His connection with the CIA, however, remains a subject of speculation and debate...

[feelincrispy]

I’ve said it before but I love that you’ve kept the intro. Reminds me of the early golden days of YouTube even if it’s just for second

[navnav]

They can build that tunnel in 8 months.. but cant fix a fkn road in that time

[julcaos]

The darkest secrets are the ones we will never know about... great video!

[antonkovalenko]

Don't forget the apparent link between the airport and the infamous "The Boys On the Tracks" case.

[maskedsonja]

good to see intro music back :) Fantastic work as usual :)

[UnluckyFriedKitten]

Diego Garcia needs an episode all by itself.

[aaronmurray]

The movie "American Made" with Tom Cruse is loosely based on the first base covered in this video.

[chazclark]

Wouldn’t wanna imagine the stuff that’s went on in these places, and the ones we don’t know about are probably the worst of them.

[sparkplug]

Funny thing about the Contra scandal that doesn’t get mentioned is that while the CIA may have flown from Arkansas, no one mentions their operations out of Fort Lauderdale.
Everyone in the area of the airport saw the C-123 planes parked by the FBO side of the field, with civilian N tail numbers. There’s also always been someone leasing office space on that side of the airport named “Colombian Air Force”. Is that really what it is or not?

[alexritchie]

Why is there all this 'allegedly' for the Iran-Contra affair? The people who orchestrated it proudly and openly admitted to it in court.

[floridafire]

The government will do whatever it deems necessary to accomplish their goals.

[jenc.]

“Where’s the Best place to hide a secret?”
In plain sight- site.

[jameslahey]

Whenever the IRS gets involved, y'know its serious 😆

[Runningthesteadyrace]

I remember when the videos had no narration back in the day. I love this channel and def. glad the intro has been kept like some other users have said before me.

[ification]

Truly great content 👍 thank you keep up the excellent work sir.

[womble]

The Film Air America was basically a documentary. Every event in the film actually happened just not to the same person.

[TheMozerfok]

Diego Garcia is being fought by the original owner of the Island BTW.

The British asked it in order for Mauritius to get its independence and leased it instantly to the US; deporting all the natives to Seychelles and Mauritius island BY FORCE, killing all the native pets and destroying their houses as the watched helplessly from the boats taking them away from their homeland. Now the Mauritian government has won a case in the International court of Justice over ownership of the archipelago and the UK has yet to surrender ownership back to MU.

Most probably won't happen, that US base is vital for the US government...

Diego Garcia is a full fledged military base of importance for the US government. Many long range bombers like the B2 are housed and were launched from this site during both Iraq wars and many more intervention in the EMEA region during many decades. Air force 1 and 2 have made stops their several times under many different presidents. The most advanced tsunami warning system lives there, among many more assets.

It deserve an episode on its own TBH

[dabidolittle]

I’ve never seen someone do a line of coke backwards before

[jonathanjimmyshearman]

These were pretty immersive, interesting, and fascinating Dark 5.

Happy Thanksgiving.😄🙂

[randallsavage]

The ones that hold the darkest secrets are the ones we don’t know about