Manuel Noriega played a pivotal role in the drug trafficking landscape during the 1970s and 1980s, forming alliances with prominent South American drug traffickers that enabled him to amass significant wealth. Initially serving as Panama’s intelligence chief, he gradually ascended to the position of its de facto leader, eventually establishing himself as a tyrannical dictator who ruled with a heavy hand.
As his power waned, Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican embassy located in Panama City. In a unique operation, instead of invading the embassy and violating international law, the United States Delta Force resorted to an unconventional tactic: they played a Van Halen cassette on repeat for ten straight days to pressure him. This strategy eventually led to Noriega’s surrender after about a week and a half of isolation.
Subsequent proceedings revealed that Noriega had been acting as a CIA informant and collaborator with the US government throughout the years. After completing his prison sentence in the United States, he faced further legal troubles in France for money laundering. His journey through the legal system did not end there; he was later convicted of murder in Panama, culminating a tumultuous life marked by crime and power struggles.