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104-10177-10239

2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

de)

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

WASHINGTON.D.G. LOSUS

MEMORANDUY FOR: Mr: John Warner

Chief, International Intelligence Division

Office of Intelligence

Drug Enforcement Adninistration

ATTENTION: Mr. Robert Goe

Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA

REFERENCES: A. A. (i), 06 February 1976

B. SEC-IGI-76-0062(1), 20 Februal. 1976

C. SEC-IGI-76- 0G65(1), 25 February 1976

'SUBJECT

TETS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN

APPROVED FOR RELEASE BY

DEAL ON /APR 94

as tritized

This Agency was requested by DEA to check the

backgrounds of five Cuban exiles who have come to the

attention of DEA either as potential informants or as

liaison contacts: According to preliminary checks

conducted by DEA, there were indication's that these

individuals had past records of "political and revolú-

tionary intrigue."

DEA, concerned that it may be the

target of a provocation operation by another govern-

ment, requested this Agency's assessment of the

This memorandum contains the results of a

check of our Headquarters records on these individuals,

followed by a sunmary of our findings and conclusions.

The order of this response is keyed to Reference B:

1927.

a Nario FLY 21 NO NEED : 03 Manterest

to this Agency in 1960 but according to. our records he

THIS DOCUNENT IS NOT TO BE DISSEMINATED ABROAD OR

OUTSIDE

THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE RECEIVING AGENCY

WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE ORIGINATOR

EXEMPT FROM GENERAL DECLASSIFICATION SCHEDULE OF

EXEMPTION CATEGORY:

5 (4) 2

DECLASSIFICATION DATE INROSSIBLE TO DETERNINE

X++L-40150+3

701-0.85123

145 1285423666 DuNGE NCC3A

8-11i0=5.595576

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SUBJECI: Cuban. Exiles Toroled with Die

Pig? ?

sas at no time used operationally.

Our files contain

no additional information

onCIlEYED since 1960

except for a 1969 FBI report dealing with his involve-

ment in a plan to assassinate Fidel Castro.

(DEA

already has a copy of this report.)

Although in-

formation obtained from a Report of Investigation

(ROI) by Alfredo Duncan (DEA/Caracas)

dated

01

December 1975 indicates that VINENED is a U.S.

citizen, resides in Caracas and has contacts with

various

Headquarters files to substantiate

Gov officials, we have no information in our

information.

In November 1975 the Caracas Regional Office (CRO)

requested traces from our field representative on

TINENED, who was reportedly in contact with the CRo.

The following traces were forwarded to our represen-

tative in Caracas

on 03 December 1975 for passage t

DEA:

"Following

data on mario ELoy LIMENEZ ROie

taken from his own undated handwritten bio summary

which apparently submitted to the anti-Castro Frente

Revolucionario Democratico (FRD) in Miami about 1960,

nd from an FRD Personnel Form. SIMENEZ was born !

March T92T in Lajas,

Las villas:

• Cuba.

te attender

The University of Havana and majored in business

was secretary to the President of Congress in Hayana

from 1941 (sic) until 1958.

le came to the U.S

Miami aslan immigrant in April 1959. JIMENE

stated his purpose in coming to the V.S. was to assist

in the eradication of the Cuban system.

JIMENEZ is

married to Dyalma Balasquide.

At the time his bio

sumnary was written, he stated he was a second lieu-

tenant in the U.S.

JIMENEZ was secretary to the President of the Cuban

as it highly unlikely that

Congress at age fourteemand only a little less un-

on his precessins papers

that JINENEZ wasa former

" the Patron'

On 12 Decembe

1915 we received a request from the CRO that JIMENEZ

be registered in the ISR as:a DEA source

formally registered on 29 December 1975.

(He was

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SAHE

SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA rage 3

Ана.

Orlando GARCIA Vasquez.

DPOB: 16 June 1927,

GARCIA (at one time a naturaliied U.S.

citizen/18 May 1945 in South Carolina), becane a

V'enezuelan citizen ca 1962. GARCIA has a long history

as a political thug since pre-Batista dajs in Cuba.

He was a member of the Union Insurrectional Revo-

lucionaria (UIR) in Cuba along with Fidel Castro and

other persons who were involved in political assasi-

He claims to have served with the U.S. 82nd

Airborne Division from 1945-47 and to have returned

to Cuba thereafter to attend the University of Havana

on the GI Bill.' About mid-52 Subject left Cuba for

Miami because of a scandal in Cuba over a crine al-

legedly committed by GARCIA.

In 1953 he became a

bodyguard for Costa Rican President FIGUERES, who

Introduced hin to Romulo BETANCOURT,

•exile in Costa Reca..

It is believed that GARCIA's

fast rise in the Venezuelan governnent is based on his

earlier service to Accion Democratica (AD) exiles in

Costa Rica,

where he revortedly eliminated several

to kill BETANCOURT.

When BETANCOURT

president of Verezuela (1959-64), GARCIA was

appointed a division chief in the Directorate General

of Police (DIGEPOL) "prevention (DISIP). GARCIA left

now the Directorate for the Services

of Intelligence and

Venezuela for Miami In 1964 for health reasons (ulcers)

and during this stay in Miami worked at the Venezuelan

Consulate.

He returned to Venezuela in 1966 and re-

portedly held positions within the l'enezuelan Ministry

of Interior (exact positions.not known).

1969 GARCIA was assigned as First Secreiary to the

Venezuelan Embassy

in Georgeto.n,

Guyana.

He returned

to Venezuela sometime during 1970 or 1971 and was

assigned as Special Assessor

(Advisor), Ministry of

Foreign Relations, where he was mainly

concerned with

Venezuelan national border incidents and violations.

appointed to head ma spec da coreusy lotei

GARCIA was

to head a special foreign intelligence

within the Ministry of Interior:

In November 1973 our representative in Caracas

was queried oy DEA Caracas concerning a report which

was prepared on 06

September 1973 in Miami by S.A./

Michael

D. Brom,

which accused GARCIA of being in

volved in

narcotics

trafficking and of being a CIA

5."0

i

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SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Insolved with DEA

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informant. DEA Caracas has advised that GARCIA was

tormer Agency asset an that we have maintained

contact with him ever the lars.

Although it is known

chat GARCIA has associated with known traffickers, no

hard facts concerning his direct involiement in

narcotics have been uncovered. GARCIA has veen

not be averthe nor not felt then neces-

"bright, CARCIA has apparently always sided with the

men in power and seems to have gained the confidence

of many leaders in the countries around the Caribbean.

A DEA ROI, dated 10 October 1971, written by S.A. Brom

at Miami reported that GARCIA las in the United States

and was in contact with Ricardo MORALES (sce paragraph:

CARCIA made several trips to the U.S. on

of the GOV during 1974-75.

Your. Agency is referred

to the FBI for information concerning GARCIA'S

activities in the U.S.

Ricardo MORALES Navarette. MOE: It Junc

MORALES took refuge in the

not the stet it lean a see liara,

He was a self-admitted

former G-2 agent.

member of "Cuban power," an anti-Castro terrorist

organization,

whose palic) has to liquidate foreign

the Castra regime. MORALES was arrested

14 February 1968 in Miani and questioned regarding

On 02 October 1972 DEA/

Miami registered MORALES Anthe ISR as a DEs informant.

February 1976, MORALES was reported to be an

recently loft the Miani area to go to

Caracas to

take up an official position with a sensitive CoV

(This Agency has no updated information on

The Miami

as being an extrenely reliable source

suggested Caracas R/O use caution

ORALES cue to his present status hithin the Gok.

DEA ROI (dated 10 Oclober 1971) written by S.N

alichael 1. Brom at Niami reportel that MORALES was

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Page 5

in contagt wich one Orlando GARCIA, who was in the

recruiting Cubans for use in a lenezuelan

Special Forces Unit.

Your Agency is referred

to the

FBlafor infornation concerning the activities of

these individuals in the United States.

turned up

JUSTO LARAZO ALSO 500 DPOB), a Cuban-exile,

A check of our records

Justo Alfonso.

active in anti-Castro organizations in

late 1960's.

Your Agency is referred to the FBI for

information

on this individual.

Manuel De ARMAS. DPOB:

06 November 1947;

Havana, Cuba, naturalized U.S. citizen living in Miami.

On 17 October 1975 one Manuel De ARMAS contacted our

overt Domestic Contact Division

(DCD) office in Miami

offering his services as a doubic agent.

Following are

excerpts from two DCD Reports dated 20 October 1975 and

19 january 1976 based on debriefings of De ARIAS: While

in Cuba De ARVAS claimed to have been the neighbor of.

Raul BETANCOURT, the brother of the former Venczuelan

President Romulo

BETANCCURT, and his two daughters:

Antonieta and Mariela, who was De ARMAS' girl friend:

De ARMAS' mother decided in 1962 that Subject should

leave Cuba, which he did.

In 1975, De ARMAS found out

that his two joung cousins had been placed in an orphan-

age in Cuba.

He made contact with Mariela BETANCOURT,

telling her

that he was fed

un with the U.S. system of

government in order to gain her attention on the matter

of taking his cousins out of Cuba.

Mariela asked him

if he would be willing to work for the Cuban Government

and he replied he rould if it would help the youngsters.

Mariela then told De ARMAS to go to Caracas and meet

with her sister Antonieta.

De ARMAS went to Caracas on

02 October 1975 and met with Antonieta,

but no proposals

were made on the possibility of his working for the

Cuban Government.

On 17 October 1975 De ARMAS again

called Mariela and was told that he should return to

Venezuela to hold more talks with Antonieta and

"other

people." After talking with Mariela on 17 October 1975,

De ARilAS called

our DCD/Miami Office because as a U.S.

itizen he clained that he did not want to get involve

with the Cuban Governnent unless he had this Agency's

De ARMIS graciously olfered his services as

a double agent.

He called DCD/Miami on 20 October 1975

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SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA

lage 6

and again on 07 January 1976 to resubmit his offer and

insisted on a response.

He was told that his offer

would be forwarded through the appropriate channels.

Our records show that there was no ClA interest

in De ARiMS,

On 13 January 1976

representative in Miani

was told that the FBI Miami

office had been in contact with subject and kished to

verify De ARMAS' clain that he kas

in contact with our

The FBI also asked whether this

Agency had any objection for further FBI contact with

Subject. on the

"same basis they had previously.

The type or length of FBI contact with De ARMAS is not

Your office is referred to the FBI for additional

information.)

DEA message (# 02406) which requested permission

Miami CI Manuel Leonardo De ARMAS to travel to Caracas

for a one kilo heroin. buy from a Colombian whom

had previously met through a Maria A.

mission was given and De ARVAS arrived in Caracas on 11

February 1976.

trip but according to De ARMAS he was taken to the Cuban

mbassy in Caracas on 12 February 1976, where he was

allsedly approached to work for the Cuban Government

in an intelligence capacity.

events to DEA Caracas on 12 .February 1976; he was ad-

Vised to return to the U.S. Our representative in

Caracas was briefed on the De ARMAS case by SAIC Duncan

on 13 February 1976. SCaracas Station was very interested

in having De ARMAS return to Caracas for use as a

possible source on Cuban intelligence activities, and

isteps were taken to request that DEA turn de ARilAs

Lover te this igency

A baclground check was conducted

on De ARMAS at that time and on 20 February 1976 the

FBI representative in Miami reported the following in-

formation:

"The FBI has been avoiding contact with

De ARMAS for the

assessed

as a

the pest couple an ed the icate he was

ARMAS gave

a press interriew

1976 in which

he

in Miami in early February

clained an affiliation with virtually

every U.S. intelligence agency.

He said that he had

worked for CIA and had attended a CIA training school.

The press

The pressy beerie has chus far tet been published,

De ARMAS

SECRET

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SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEa

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a bank loan of $1,500 in Miami and has defaulted

on some $800 of the amount.

The final note on De ARMAS

is that he reccived a gencral discharge from the U.S.

Army with a notation

that he had psychological anc

behavioral problens."

The sist of the aforementione

•BI information has been passed to DEA Caracas.

All

agencies concerned agree that contact with De ARMAS

should cease.

De ARrAs again contacted S.A. Duncan in

Caracas on 26 February 1976 and requested a meeting: he

said that the request was not drug related, but con-

cerned the "Cuban matter."

S.A. Duncan advised De ARMAS.

that he was on his olin

and that DEA would not get in-

As DEA Headquarters is aware, De ARMAS re-

portedly left for Mexico o/a 26 February 1976.

We have

no subsequent reporting on his movements.

7.

Three of the five aforementioned individuals

are known to have had past connections:

GARCIA Vazquez

and SUMENEZ-Rojo were both

former members of the UIR

in Cuba

at one time and MORALES Navarette, a former

-Cuban G-2 agent, was in contact with GARCIA in the

United States during 1974-75.

Although there have been

allegations aimed

at MORALES and GARCIA over the years

accusing

them

of being Cuban

agents and/or of narcotics

involvement, these claims have not been substantiated

and for the most part are based on circumstantial

evidence or guilt by association, which happens

frequently among Cubans, aS NORALES has been a DEA

finformant since 1971 and,

in fact, was Tated as ano

"extermely reliable" source by the Miami R/O; a desire

Lon his part to continue this relationship in Caracas,

we feel,. cannot be construed as part of a provocation:

operation.

A check of our records reflected no past

intelligence backgrounds for LAZARO Alfonso and De

ARMAS,.

While there is a paucity of background infor-

mation in our files on Justo LAZARO, in our opinion he.

is attempting to extort moncy from

the U.S. Government

based

on a poorly conceived idea of his olin.

ARMAS

case

appears to have been resolved satisfactorily

for all

concerned.

All Agencies

concerned agree he is

unstable and contact should be either severed, or if

unavoidable, it

should be made with extreme caution.

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SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involved with DEA Page 8

8.

Following a revier of all information on the

foregoing Subjocts available at DEA Headquarters and

at this Agency's Headquarters, le are of the opinion

that there is no data or other evidence to suggest an

outside organization is attempting to manipulate these

individuals in an operation aired at discrediting che

U.S. Government and DEA. le believe there may be

collusion among the three Subjects located in Caracas,

probably to assist one another in nefarious schemes to

personal,

while one

that the Cuban

mentioned Subjects at DEA for the purpose of harrassing

the U.S.

Government, there is no conclusive informatior

in our files to connect

intelligence or

a Venezuelan entity whose interests are inimical to the

u.s.

John P. Kennedy

Special Assistant for Coordination of

Foreign Narcotics Information

DONC- 00038/76

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d.."

20к3

SUBJECT: Cuban Exiles Involred with DEA

Page 9

DDO/OPS/NARCOG/ELDaviS/ms

Distribution:

Orig. & 1 - Addressee

- NARCUG CHRONO

1 - IP/AN*

*File in

201-0067860

201-0285923

X 201-0286570

Index:

Justo LAZARO Altonso

Index:

Manuel Leonardo De ARuAka Justo Alfonsc

Coordination:.

(in draft 17 Narch 197

(draft) 17 March 1976

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