[1]14-0000
[3]104-10177-10239 | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 |
[5]. ¢
[7]CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
[8]Wasntinston.D.C, 20505
[10]ry
[12]MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. John Warner.
[13]. Chief, International Intelligence Division |
[15]Office of Intelligence
[16]Drug Enforcenent Administration
[18]: ; ; . ATTENTION: Mr. Robert Goe
[20]SUBJECT ‘: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA: .
[21]REFERENCES ‘ : A. SEC-IGI-76-0048(z), 06 February 1976
[22]B. SEC-IGI-76-0062(1), 20 Februat, 1976 .
[23]AEE ENT HAS aay ¢. SEC-IGI-76-0665 (1), 25 February 1976 L
[24]DEA ON / APR FY
[25]Ow : 1. This Agency was requested by DEA to check the
[27]backgrounds of five Cuban exiles who have come to the
[28]attention of DEA either as potential informants or as
[29]liaison contacts; According. to prelininary checks
[30]conducted by DEA, there were indications that these. :
[31]individuals had past records of "political and revolu- :
[32]tionary intrigue." DEA, concerned that it may be the .
[33]target of a provocation operation by anether govern-
[35]ment, requested this Agency's assessment of the
[37]situation. This memorandum contains the results.of a
[39]check of ovr Headquarters records on these individuals,
[41]followed by a Summary of our findings and conclusions. . \
[42]The order of this respohse is keyed to Reference B: :
[44]to this Agency in 1960 but according to. our Tecords he
[46]THIS DOCUMENT Is NOT TO BE DiSSEMINATED ABROAD Ok
[47]OUTSIDE THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE RECEIVING AGENCY
[48]WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE ORIGINATOR ©
[50]gouty
[51]EXEMPT FROM GENERAL DECLASSiFICATION SCHEDULE OF *
[53]E.0. 11652, EXEMPTION CATEGORY: S (b) 2
[54]DECLASSIFICAT. DATE IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE
[55]LASSIFTPDCRY 661466 Cen OOO REMY
[56]Rn cte Careeeete 100 eC ESA IS OE ee oe: Peat
[57]Bp bP AYES Ge t hye spelen y PMD bo PEE. L- 1
[60],
[61]nn an
[63]mex
[65]ca
[67]o
[69]. .
[71]14-00000
[73]SUBJECIT: Cuban Exites Tevolved with Dra Pa
[75]92
[77]was at no time used operationally. Our files contain
[78]no additional information on since 1960
[79]except for a 1969 FBI report dealing with his involve-
[80]Ment in a plan to assassinate Fidel Castro. (DEA
[81]already has a copy of this report.) Although in-
[82]formation obtained from a Report of Investigation
[83](ROI) by Alfredo Duncan (DEA/Caracas) dated 01
[84]December 1975 indicates that WINENED is a U.S.
[85]citizen, resides in Caracas and has contacts with
[86]various GOV officials, we have no information in our
[87]Headquarters files to substantiate this information.
[88]In November 1975-the Caracas Regional Office (CRO)
[89]Yequested traces from our field representative on
[90]“Q VEZ, who was reportedly in contact with the CRO.
[91]The following traces were forwarded to our represen-
[92]tative in Caracas on 03 December 1975 for passage to
[93]DEA: "Following data on {ilario Eloy ~ R
[94]taken from his own undated handwritten bio summary
[95]which apparently submitted to the anti-Castro Frente
[96]Revolucionario Democratico (FRD) in Miami about 1960,
[97]and from an FRD Personnel Forn.
[98]j a 1
[100]1952 (sic
[101]; (of Havana?
[102]tary to the President of Cong
[103]Sic) until 1958. He came
[104]Q immigrant in April 1
[106]ta e was a second Ji
[107]Xe AAS it highly unlikel
[108]President of the Cu
[109]nd
[111]gress at age fourteér only a little less
[112]likely that he was « ge twenty-one, as
[113]dates given by J
[114]Department of
[116]othe U.S./
[117]JIMENEZ
[119]statement on his
[120]indicated that JIMENEZ wa
[121]e Revolutionary Insurrection
[122]Cuban-style mafia which was
[123]S an as under ‘the Fatr6n’
[124]of anti-Batista political ftgureg> On 12 Decembe
[126]quest from the CRO that JIN NEZ
[129]14-00000 .
[131]SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA Page 3.
[133]3. Orlando GARCIA Vasquez. DPOB: 16 June 1927,
[134]Havana, Cuba. GARCIA (at one time a naturalized U-;S.
[135]citizen/18 May 1945 in South Carolina). became a
[136]Venezuelan citizen ca 1962. GARCIA has a long history
[137]as a political thug since pre-Batista days in Cuba.
[138]He was a member of the Union Insurrectional Revo-
[139]° lucionaria (UIR) in Cuba along with Fidel Castro and
[140]: other persons who were involved im political assasi-
[141]nations. He claims to have served with the U.S. 82nd
[142]° Airborne Division from 1945-47 and to have returned
[143]to Cuba thereafter to-attend the University of Havana
[144]_ on the GI Bill. About mid-5S2 Subject left Cuba for
[145]. Miami because of a scandal in Cuba over a crime al-
[146]legedly committed by GARCIA. In 1953 he became a
[147]bodyguard for Costa Rican President FIGUERES, who
[148]introduced hin to Romulo BETANCOURT, who was then in
[149]‘exile in Costa Raca. It is believed that GARCIA's
[150]fast rise in the Venezuelan government is based on his
[151]earlier service to Accion Democratica (AD) exiles in
[152]Costa Rica, where he reportedly eliminated several
[153]gunmen sent to kill BETANCOURT. When BETANCOURT
[154]became president of Verezuela (1959-64), GARCIA was
[155]appointed a division chief in the Directorate General
[156]of Police (DIGEPOL), now the Directorate for the Services
[157]of Intelligence and Preventicn (DISIP). GARCIA left
[158]Venezuela for Miami an 1964 "for health reasons (ulcers)
[159]and during this stay in Miami worked at the Venezuelan
[160]Consulate. He returned to Venezuela in 1966 and re-
[161]portedly held positions within the Venezuelan Ministry
[162]of Interior (exact positions not known). In August
[163]1269 GARCIA Was assigned as First Secretary to the
[164]Venezyelan Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana. He returned
[165]to Venezuela sometime during'1970 or 1971 and was ;
[166]assigned as Special Assessor (Advisor), Ministry of
[167]Foreign Relations, where he was mainly concerned with
[168]Venezuelan national border incidents and violations.
[169]According to information dated July 1974, GARCIA was
[170]appointed to head a special foreign intelligence
[171]Service within the Ministry of Interior:
[173]In November 1973 our representative in Caracas
[174]Was queried oy DEA Caracas concerning a report which
[175]Was prepared on 06 September 1973 in Miami by S.A./
[176]Michael D. Brom, which accused GARCIA of being int
[178]volved in narcatics trafficking
[180]gone:
[182]14.90000
[184]co WwW. “him oyer the years? Although it is known
[185]that GARCIA has associated with known traffickers, no
[186]hard facts concerning his ¢cirect involvement in
[187]narcotics have been uncovered. GARCIA has been
[188]escribed over the years as a political thug, a
[189]murderer, a con-man, a pathological liar, and a
[191]- "bright, aggressive rogue who is ruthless when neces-
[193]sary." GARCEA has apparently always sided with the
[195]men in power and seems to have gained the confidence -
[196]of many leaders in the countries around the Caribbean. -
[197]A DEA ROI, dated 10 October 1974, written by S.A. Brom
[199]at Miami reported that GARCIA was in the United States .
[201]and wads in contact with Ricardo MORALES (sce paragraph ..
[202]4). GARCIA made several trips to the U.S. on behalf
[204]of the GOV during 1974-75. Your, Agency is referred
[206]to the FBI for information concerning GARCIA's
[207]activities in the U.S.
[209]4 Rica RALTS a. YPOB: 4
[210]1939, Havana, Cuba. ORALES took refuge in the
[212]Brazilian _Em¥assy in Havana in Octo is]
[213]‘ e United States as a Cuban refugee“
[214]P N29 November 1960. He was a se xe
[216]former G- yg t. Although MORALES was interest
[217]this Agency ii’ sea. he was not used optrationally.
[218]Information in indicated that M
[220]ber of “Cuban ower," an anti-Cast terrorist
[221]anization, whosé\pdlicy was t piauidate foreign
[222]port for the Castro’ imé.
[224]imé. “MORALES was arrested
[225]14 February 1968 in Miami questioned regardin
[226]leccnt bombing incidentd> Or 02 October 1972 DEA/
[227]m
[229]d 17 February 1976,/MORALES i eported to be a’
[231]ve DEA informaxt-Since 25 February™
[233]recently Ip#f the Mani area to ¢ b
[236]up an off al position with a sensi
[237]cy (T 45’ Agency has no updaced info tion on / 4
[240]ALES to“sGbstantiate this information.) The Miami
[241]rated MORALES as being an extremely re
[242]g
[243]A
[245]2 Caracas t
[246]tive GOV
[248]suggested Caracas R/O use cauticn in utilret
[249]s within the GO
[251]“iS due to his present statu
[252](da
[253]D
[255]ROI
[257]i registered MORALES ISR as a DEA informant.\
[258]rding to a DEA cabléfrom Miami R/O to Caratas R/0,)
[260]14-00000
[262]wi a)
[264]SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA Page $
[266]in contacg with one Orlando GARCIA, who was in t
[267]Miami area recruiting Cubans for use in a Venezuela
[268]Special Forcés Unit. Your Agency is referred to the
[269]-FBIZ for information concerning the activities of
[270]hese individuals in the United States.
[272]S. Justo LARAZO Alfonso. A check of our records
[273]turned up one Justo Alfonso (no DPOB), a Cuban-exile,
[274]who was active in anti- Castro organizations in the
[275]late 1960's. Your Agency is referred to the FBI for
[276]information on this individual.
[278]6. Manuel De ARMAS. DPOB: 06 November 1947,
[279]Havana, Cuba; naturalized U.S. citizen living in Miami.
[280]On 17 October 1975 one Manuel De ARMAS contacted our
[281]overt Domestic Contact Division (DCD) office in Miami
[282]offering his services as a doubic agent. Following are
[283]excerpts from two DCD Reports dated 20 October 1975 and
[284]19 January 1976 based on debriefings of De ARMAS: While
[285]in Cuba De ARMAS claimed to have been the neighbor of.
[286]Raul BETANCOURT, the brother of the former Venezuelan
[287]President Romulo BETANCCURT, and his two daughters.
[288]Antonieta and Mariela, who was De ARMAS' girl friend.
[290]De ARMAS' mother decided in 1962 that Subject should
[291]Leave Cuba, which he did. In 1975, De ARMAS found out
[292]that his two young cousins had been placed in an orphan-
[293]age in Cuba. He made contact with Mariela BETANCOURT,
[294]telling her that he was fed up with the U.S. system of
[295]government in order to gain her attention on the matter
[296]of taking his cousins out of Cuba. Mariela asked him
[298]if he would be willing to work for the Cuban Government
[299]and he replied he would if it would help the youngsters.
[300]Mariela then told- De ARMAS to go to Caracas and meet -
[301]with her sister Antonieta. De ARMAS went to Caracas on
[302]02 October 1975 and met with Antonieta, but no proposals
[303]were. made on the possibility of his working forthe ~~~ °
[304]Cuban Government. On 17 October 1975 De ARMAS again
[305]called Mariela and was told that he should return to
[306]Venezuela to. hold more’ talks with Antonieta and “other
[307]people." After talking with Mariela on 17 October 1975,
[308]De ARMAS called our DCD/Miami Office because as a U.S.
[309]citizen he claimed that he did not want to get involved
[310]with the Cuban Government unless he had this Agericy's
[311]approval. De ARMAS graciously offered his services as
[312]a double agent. He called DCD/Miami on 20 October 1975
[314].
[316]14-00000
[318]ste oe
[320]r a.
[321]SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA Page 6
[323]and again on 07 January 1976 to resubmit his offer and
[324]insisted on a #esponse. He was told that his offer
[325]would be forwarded threugh the appropriate channels.
[326](Note: Our records show that there was no CIA interest
[327]in De ARMAS, past or present.) On 13 January 1976 our
[328]representative in Miami was told that the FBI Miami
[329]office had been in contact with Subject and wished to
[330]verify De ARMAS" clain that he was in contact with our
[331]DCD Miami office. The FBI also asked whether this
[332]Agency had any objection for further FBI contact with
[333]Subject. on the "same basis they had previously." (Note:
[334]The type or length of FBI contact with De ARMAS is not
[335]known. Your office is referred to the FBI for additional
[337]information.)
[339]On 04 February 1976 DEA Caracas received a
[340]DEA message (# 02406) which requested permission for
[341]Miami CI Manuel Leonardo De ARMAS to travel to Caracas
[342]for a one kilo heroin, buy from a Colombian whom De ARMAS
[343]had previously met through a Maria A. BETANCOURT. Per-
[344]mission was given and De ARMAS arrived in Caracas on 11
[345]February 1976. No mention of drugs was made on this .
[346]trip but according to De ARMAS he was taken to the Cuban
[347]Embassy in Caracas on 12 February 1976, where he was
[348]allgedly approached to work for the Cuban Government
[349]in an intelligence capacity. De ARMAS reported these
[350]events to DEA Caracas on 12.February 1976; he was ad-
[351]vised to return to the U.S. Our representative in
[352]Caracas was briefed on the De ARMAS case by SAIC Duncan
[353]on 13 February 1976. omrwas very interested
[354]in having De ARMAS return to Caracas for use asa
[356]possible source on Cuban intelligence activities, Gnd)
[358]on De ARMAS at that tine and on 20 February 1976 the
[359]FBI representative in Miami reported the following in-
[360]formation: "The FBI has been avoiding contact with
[362]De ARMAS for the past couple of months since he was
[363]assessed as a ‘mentally unbalanced fabricator’. De
[364]ARMAS gave a press interview in Miami in early February
[365]1976 in which he claimed an affiliation with virtually
[366]every U.S. intelligence agency. He said that he had
[367]worked for CIA and had attended a CIA training school.
[368]The press interview has thus far not been published,
[369]presumably because it is too far fetched. De ARMAS
[371]SzRaET
[373]aah
[375]14-0000
[377]SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEa Pape 7
[381]received a bank loan of $1,500 in Miami and has‘defaulted
[382]on some $800 of the amount. The final note on De ARMAS
[383]is that he received a gencral discharge from the U.S.
[384]Army with a notation that he had psychological and
[385]behavioral problems." The gist of the aforementioned
[386]FBI information has been passed to DEA Caracas. All
[387]agencies concerned agree that contact with De ARMAS
[388]should cease. De ARMAS again -contacted S.A. Duncan in
[389]Caracas on 26 February 1976 and requested a meeting; he
[390]said that the request was not drug related, but con-
[391]cerned the “Cuban matter." S.A. Duncan advised De ARMAS.
[392]that he was on his own and that DEA would not get in-
[393]volved. As DEA Headquarters is aware, De ARMAS re-
[394]portedly left for Mexico o/a 26 February 1976. We have
[395]no subsequent reporting on his movements.
[397]7. Three of the five aforementioned individuals |
[399]are known to have had past connections: GARCIA Vazquez
[400]and SUNENEZ=RGgIn wer e both former. members of the UIR
[401]in Cuba at one time and“MORALES—Na Forméy=
[402]was in contact with XGARCIA. in the
[403]United States during 1974-75. Although there have been
[404]allegations aimed at: nd GARCIA over the years
[405]accusing them of being Cuban agents and/or of narcotics
[406]involvement, these Claims have not been substantiated
[407]and for the most part are based on circumstantial
[408]evidence or guilt by association, watch happens
[409]L ; een a
[410]ormant Since 1971 and, in fete Gas Pa ted as ara
[412]in =
[413]Mextermely-reliable" source by the’Miami R/0; -a—-desir
[414]on_his part_to continue this. refationship —
[415]we feel, cannot be construed as part. of a provocation.
[416]operation. A check of our records reflected no past
[417]intelligence backgrounds for LAZARO Alfonso and De
[418]ARMAS, . While there is a paucity of background infor-
[419]mation in our files on Justo LAZARO, in our opinion he.
[420]is attempting to extort moncy from the U.S. Government
[421]based on a poorly conceived idea of his own. The De
[422]ARMAS case appears to have been resolved satisfactorily
[423]for all concerned. All Agencies concerned agree he is
[424]unstable and contact should be either severed, or if.
[425]unavoidable, it should be made with extreme caution.
[429]14-00000
[431]SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles lavelved with DEA Page &
[433]&. Following'a review of all information on the
[434]foregoing Subjects available at DEA Headquarters and
[435]at this Agency's Headquarters, we are of the opinion
[436]that there is no data or other evidence to suggest an
[437]outside organization is attempting to manipulate these
[438]individuals in an- operation aimed at discrediting the
[439]U.S. Government and DEA. We believe there may be
[440]collusion among the three Subjects located in Caracas,
[442]probably to assist one another in‘nefarious schemes to
[444]One degree or another; however, the information on
[445]hand does not suggest their motivation would go beyond
[446]personal, financial or influence objectives. . While one
[448]cannot absolutely rule out the possibility, for example,
[449]Cuban Service has run one or moire of the afore-
[451]that ‘the
[453]mentioned Subjects at DEA for the purpose of harrassing
[454]the U.S. Government, there is no conciusive information
[455]in our files to connect them with Cuban intelligence or
[456]a Venezuelan entity whose interests are inimical to the
[458]U.S.
[462]Letty
[464]Special Assistant for Coordination of
[465]Foreign Narcotics Information
[467]DONC-00038/76
[469]14-00000
[473]SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA Page 9
[475]cord
[479]Distribution:
[480]Orig. 4 1 - Addressee
[481]1 - NARCOG CHRONO
[482]1 - IP/AX*
[484]aFile-in 201-0067860.
[485]. X 201-0285923
[486]X 201-0286570 ,
[487]Index: Justo LAZARO Alfonso, aka Justo Alfonso
[489]’ Index; Manuel Leonardo De ARMAS
[491]Coordination:
[493]in draft) 17 March 1976
[494]G
[496]us draft) 17 March 1976