GARY WEBB: His wife's office was burglarized. He also stated "the series presented dangerous ideas" by suggesting "crimes of state had been committed" (i.e. "I had to warn Gary that what he was looking at was probably true, but that he would run very big risks," Parry recalls. [31] In their front-page article, reporters Roberto Suro and Walter Pincus wrote that "available information" did not support the series's claims and that "the rise of crack" was "a broad-based phenomenon" driven in numerous places by diverse players. Gary Webb, 49, Journalist Who Wrote Disputed Articles, Is Dead Special Reports - Cocaine, Conspiracy Theories And The Cia In - PBS Webb's then-wife Sue remembers coming home from the shops and finding her. "The government side of the story is coming through the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post", he stated. [60], It found nothing to support the claim that "the drug trafficking activities of Blandn and Meneses were motivated by any commitment to support the Contra cause or Contra activities undertaken by CIA." The third article discussed the social effects of the crack trade, noting that it had a disparate effect on African-Americans. Every year since investigative journalist Gary Webb took his own life in 2004, I have marked the anniversary of that sad event by recalling the debt that American history owes to Webb for his. "Everyone got out and left the person who had made the noise - issued the report - alone. To Read the Full Story Become an Adweek+ Subscriber. [65], After leaving The Mercury News, Webb worked as an investigator for the California State Legislature. "He was crying. But ultimately, the responsibility was, and is, mine.". "Although Ross had become a millionaire by 1984," Katz now wrote, "the market was so huge by then that even a dealer of his stature could seem dwarfed How the crack epidemic reached that extreme, on some level," he continues, "had nothing to do with Ross". "By the end of his life he was just in a lot of pain," said Webb's ex-wife, Susan Bell. The first effect of the onslaught was to ease the pressure on the CIA. "Which was that, if he wanted a future within the political establishment of the United States, then he should concentrate on other aspects of life.". "He rang me up that day. "It sounds crazy," says Bell, "but having his motorbike stolen was the last straw. Webb's ex wife, Susan Bell told reporters that she believed Webb had died by suicide. What he found, he wrote later, "nearly knocked me off my chair". Chasing Corona - by George Webb But "Dark Alliance" was also posted on the Mercury News's website, with the image of a crack smoker superimposed on the CIA badge. . In May 1997, after an internal review, Ceppos stated that, although the story was right on many important points, there were shortcomings in the writing, editing and production of the series. 'Dark Alliance' - both as journalism and as a book - is a convoluted narrative, but the crucial link it establishes is between the "agricultural salesman" Oscar Danilo Blandn, a Contra sympathiser with close CIA links, and his best customer, an LA drug dealer known as "Freeway" Ricky Ross. The article resulted in a lawsuit against Webb's paper which the plaintiffs won. Unfortunately, the railroading of Gary Webb had begun and he was run over. And the importance of exposing them. [35] The second article, by McManus, was the longest of the series and dealt with the role of the Contras in the drug trade and CIA knowledge of drug activities by the Contras. "And to an extent, they succeeded.". WRITTEN IN PAIN - Los Angeles Times "The cause of death was determined to be self . He cites the case of Alfred McCoy, now Professor of South East Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin. "Ross," his report went on, dealt "on a scale never before conceived," with "a staggering turnover" of "50 to 100 kilos of cocaine a day". Instead, he found work in 1978 as a reporter at the Kentucky Post, a local paper affiliated with the larger Cincinnati Post. He then transferred to nearby Northern Kentucky University. *, 'Dark Alliance: The CIA, The Contras and the Crack Cocaine Explosion' is published in the UK by Seven Stories Press, priced 11.99, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. He received his medical degree from American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than. It found that Blandn received permanent resident status "in a wholly improper manner" and that for some time the Department "was not certain whether to prosecute Meneses, or use him as a cooperating witness." Investigative journalist Gary Webb wrote a series of stories in 1996 for the San Jose Mercury News that documented the US-government-backed Contra insurgents' drug pipeline into Los Angeles. Gary Webb's "Dark Alliance" Returns to the Internet - Narco News Gary Stephen Webb (August 31, 1955 December 10, 2004) was an American investigative journalist. When he told me, I said it sounded crazy. "[62] It also found no evidence to support Webb's suggestion that several other drug smugglers mentioned in the series were associated with the CIA, or that anyone associated with the CIA or other intelligence agencies was involved in supplying or selling drugs in Los Angeles.[62]. After the publication of "Dark Alliance," The Mercury News continued to pursue the story, publishing follow-ups to the original series for the next three months. Webb was born in Corona, California. Gary E. Webb, a dedicated husband, dad, pappy, coach, mentor, teacher, supporter, hero, and best friend, was called home by the Lord while surrounded by family. Celebrezze eventually sued the Plain Dealer and won an undisclosed out of court settlement. ". Webb was an assertive figure who drove fast cars and powerful motorcycles, hung heavy metal posters in his office and, at certain times in his life, smoked a fair amount of cannabis. That wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been willing to stand up and risk it all.". His father was a Marine sergeant, and the family moved frequently, as his career took him to new assignments. He kept saying that he would never get another job in journalism.". By this stage, he was prepared to work as a jobbing reporter. padding-bottom: 20px; A time of fellowship and remembrance is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, at Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers. At that time, Webb (pictured) was best known for the controversial three-part CIA 1996 expose he wrote the San Jose Mercury News called "Dark Alliance: The Story Behind the . According to the report's "Epilogue," the report was completed in December 1997 but was not released because the DEA was still attempting to use Danilo Blandn in an investigation of international drug dealers and was concerned that the report would affect the viability of the investigation. LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 - Gary Webb, a reporter who won national attention with a series of articles, later discredited, linking the Central Intelligence Agency to the spread of crack . The CIA admits used the media to ruin his career. After the series's publication, the Northern California branch of the national Society of Professional Journalists voted Webb "Journalist of the Year" for 1996. It also examined "how CIA handled and responded to information regarding allegations of drug trafficking" by people involved in Contra activities or support. This drug ring "opened the first pipeline between Colombia's cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles" and, as a result, "The cocaine that flooded in helped spark a crack explosion in urban America."[23]. I first heard about Webb eight years ago, I tell Bell, from the Paris-based journalist Paul Moreira. Family and friends will gather to celebrate his life of 59 years at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 7, 2019, at Lamesa Continue Reading Leave a Message, Share a Memory Ross was a major drug dealer in Los Angeles. At the end of March, Ceppos told Webb that he was going to present the internal review findings in a column. Work with a bunch of drug dealers to run guns? By the time Webb began researching Dark Alliance, Bell was 38 and they had three children. "Report on Alleged Involvement: Findings" 43. He concluded, "How did these shortcomings occur? Webb's condition exacerbated his natural recklessness. An investigative journalist, Webb became interested in the covert activities of the Central Intelligence Agency. "He definitely was depressed. Nobody who heads a government agency can let such an allegation stand.". But as his ex-wife told the . Views on Webb's journalism have been polarized. The Department of Justice Inspector-General's report was released on July 23, 1998. Webb resigned from The Mercury News in December 1997. He is from United States. Call 911 for assistance. In a three-part series published in the San Jose Mercury News, "Dark Alliance," Webb alleges that not only was the CIA aware cocaine sold in the U.S. during the 1980s was funding the Nicaraguan Contras, they were complicit in its distribution. Gary Webb FRCPC Obituary (1943 - 2021) - Legacy Remembers Gary Webb: Murdered For Exposing The Truth - A New Kind Of Human In and out of work, he had a reputation for taking risks. Famously known by the Family name Gary Stephen Webb, was a great Engineer.He was born on August 31, 1955, in Carmichael, California.Carmichael is a beautiful and populous city located in Carmichael, California United States of America.. Gary Webb Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. Meneses, an established smuggler and a Contra supporter as well, taught Blandn how to smuggle and provided him with cocaine. "[78], While finding this part of the series unsupported, Schou said that some of the series's claims on CIA involvement are supported, writing that "The CIA conducted an internal investigation that acknowledged in March 1998 that the agency had covered up Contra drug trafficking for more than a decade." ", Many of these are in the series archive at. The Man Who Exposed The Crips, Bloods & CIA Connection to - YouTube Evidence Begins To Indicate Gary Webb Was Murdered - BSNEWS Five years ago, a tragedy occurred in American journalism: Investigative reporter Gary Webb - who had been ostracized by his own colleagues for forcing a spotlight back onto an ugly government scandal they wanted to ignore - was driven to commit suicide. [73], On the other hand, many of the writers and editors who worked with him have had high praise for him. When he was engaged, he worked hard. In 1996, investigative journalist Gary Webb wrote a series of stories exposing the connection between the CIA and the crack cocaine that was being sold in So. "He was sleeping more, he hated to get up in the morning, he started having a lot of motorcycle. E&P Staff. He made that very clear. "[77], Webb's reporting in "Dark Alliance" remains controversial. [7] After transferring to Northern Kentucky, he entered its journalism program and wrote for the school paper, The Northerner. And when he got something in his head, he was determined to do it. And it ruined that reporter's career. The article suggested this was in retribution for Ross' testimony in the corruption case. Am J Mens Health, 2018 Mar 1:1557988318758788. doi: 10.1177/1557988318758788. Webb disagreed with this conclusion.[1][2]. In a long review of the series' claims in The Baltimore Sun, Weinberg said "I think the critics have been far too harsh. The story offered no evidence to support such sweeping conclusions, a fatal error that would ultimately destroy Webb, if not his editors. Webb's corpse was found in the bedroom, with two gunshot wounds to the head. Gary Webb Obituary (2011) - Saginaw, MI - Saginaw News on MLive.com In an unprecedented move, the then CIA director John Deutch was dispatched to address community leaders in the Watts district of LA. Gary Webb and the Iran-Contra-Cocaine Connection | WilderUtopia Webb's ex-wife, Stokes, now remarried and still living in Sacramento, had heard it all before, too.