On January 3, 1990, Panamanian General Manuel Antonio Noriega, after hiding for 10 days in the Vatican embassy in Panama, surrendered to US military units. He was accused of drug trafficking. The next day, Noriega was transported by plane to Miami and crowds of citizens in the streets of Panama rejoiced.
This is what history.com writes.
On July 10, 1992 the former dictator was found guilty of drug trafficking, money laundering and racketeering and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Noriega, who was born in Panama in 1938, was a loyal soldier of General Omar Torrijos, who seized power in a coup in 1968.
During Torrijos' time, Noriega headed the notorious G-2 intelligence service, which persecuted and terrorized people who criticized Torrijos' regime. Noriega also became a CIA agent, while also becoming rich from drug smuggling.
In 1981, Omar Torrijos died in a plane crash and after a two-year struggle for power, Noriega became a general in the Panamanian military. He became the de facto leader of the country, changing the presidential elections so that he could install his own puppet officials. Noriega's rule was characterized by corruption and violence.
He also became a double agent, selling American intelligence secrets to Cuba and Eastern European governments.
In 1987, when Panamanians organized protests against Noriega and demanded his removal, he declared a state of emergency in the country, closed radio stations and newspapers, and forced his political enemies to flee.
That same year, the United States cut off aid to Panama and tried to force Noriega to resign; in 1988 The United States began to consider using military action to stop drug trafficking.
Noriega annulled the presidential election of May 1989, in which a US-backed candidate was running, and in December of that year he declared his country at war with the United States.
Shortly afterwards, Panamanian soldiers killed a US Marine. President George W. Bush authorized Operation Just Cause, and on December 20, 1989 13,000 American soldiers were sent to occupy Panama along with 12,000 already there and capture Noriega.
During the invasion, 23 American soldiers were killed in the fighting and over 300 were wounded. About 450 Panamanian soldiers were killed; The number of civilian deaths is estimated to be in the hundreds to thousands, with thousands more injured.
Noriega, nicknamed "Pineapple Face" for his blotchy skin, died in Panama City, Panama, on May 29, 2017.