Oscar Danilo Blandón

Who is Oscar Danilo Blandón?

Oscar Danilo Blandón Reyes headed Nicaragua's agricultural imports under Anastasio Somoza. He has a master's degree in marketing. When the Somoza government was overthrown in 1979, Blandón fled to the United States, and then raised money for the Nicaraguan Democratic Force, a Contra group. According to many sources, including reporter Gary Webb, Blandón sold drugs and weapons to the Crips in Los Angeles. Blandón claimed that the Central Intelligence Agency protected him, allowing him to operate without fear of reprisal.

Blandón was arrested on drug charges in 1986 by the FBI. In May 1992, Blandón was convicted in US District Court on the federal charge of "conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute." He was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, but was released due to time served. Blandón was a major drug trafficker, infamously supplying Ricky Ross, a drug kingpin out of South Central Los Angeles, with millions of dollars' worth of cocaine on a daily basis.

Following his imprisonment, Blandón was hired by the Drug Enforcement Administration and salaried at $42,000.