This story was so fascinating they even made a movie out of it starring Tom Cruise, American Made. Barry Seal was one of the most renowned American dealers that smuggled weapons and drugs in the USA

Barry Seal became an aviator at only 16 years old, and as soon as he received his pilot licence, he started smuggling weapons

He had strong relations with the Madellín Cartel, i.e. the Colombian drug cartel led by Pablo Escobar

Sources:

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1989/02/28/legacy-of-a-slain-drug-informer/41b5c1bf-ba53-48f4-87d8-afd6bcbc15ce/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Seal
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhG2-dz6LVc
• https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/mena-intermountain-municipal-airport-4070/
• https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/jul/19/activities-at-airport-in-mena-detailed/
• https://armoneyandpolitics.com/the-digs-of-the-deal-mena-intermountain-municipal-airport-tails-to-tell-economic-engine-to-drive/
• https://www.thestatesman.com/entertainment/who-was-barry-seal-1502485914.html
• https://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/09/american-made-true-story-barry-seal-death-wife-family-movie
• https://www.amazon.com/Kings-of-Cocaine-audiobook/dp/B07FTMDZ8R
• Leveritt, Mara. All Quiet at Mena: A Reporter’s Memoir of Buried Investigations. Little Rock: Bird Call Press, 202
• Bowden, Bill. “Activities at Airport in Mena Detailed.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 19, 2020, pp. 1B, 5B
• http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs184.html

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