Sea of Greed by Judge Douglas McCullough tells how a N.C. marijuana bust led to the downfall of Manuel Noriega who died May 29, 2017.
May 30, 2017 interviews pertaining to Manuel Noriega’s prosecution and death May 29, 2017 Viewpoint Radio From three years prior
On May 29, 2017, former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega died in his home in Panama. The initial statement from the news wires states he died from complications from brain surgery in March. New York Times: Manuel Noriega, Dictator Ousted by U.S. in Panama, Dies at 83 – The …
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/30/…/manuel-antonio-noriega-dead-panama.html
Noriega had been imprisoned since 1989 after a long chain of events, some of which were initiated by former U.S. Attorney Douglas McCullough. Now retired from the North Carolina Court of Appeals, he prosecuted a sophisticated group of drug smugglers and money-launderers that had successfully gained access into Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky and Michigan, amassing over $50,000,000, which was placed in Panamanian banks with Noriega’s assistance. The investigation and apprehension of these smugglers eventually led to the exposure of Noriega as a drug lord and money launderer, even though on occasion he’d provided intelligence to the CIA and DEA and received an award from President Reagan. A conspiracy that spanned this hemisphere, stretching from Colombia to the Grand Caymans, Jamaica and the United States, involved local politicians, businessmen, celebrities, and entertainment agents as well as Noriega and members of Colombian drug cartels. This is the only occasion where a head of state has been prosecuted in a federal court like any other criminal.
Sea of Greed, based on the true story behind the arrest of Manuel Noriega and the invasion of Panama pursuant to “Operation Just Cause.” www.seaofgreedbook.com
Judge Douglas McCullough served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia before becoming Counsel to the Senate Ethics Committee in Washington. He returned to his home state, North Carolina in 1981 and became the senior Assistant United States Attorney where he served until 1996. After four years in private practice, he won his first election to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and was re-elected in 2010.