by Andrew CaringiPanama’s drug trafficking dictator has died at the age of 83. Manuel Noriega was both a puppet and a prisoner of the U.S. His controversial reign ended in a 40-year prison sentence for drug trafficking. Noriega was at one time an informant for the CIA, who funded him in the hope he would help stop the spread of communism and the drug trade. Noriega assumed absolute power in 1983. Evidence of extrajudicial killings and his connections to drug cartels emerged over the years. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush ordered his removal from power, sending more than 20,000 U.S. troops to Panama.
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