Startling new evidence points to suggestions that General Augusto Pinochet, the former President of Chile was involved in the production and trafficking of narcotics.
A report in the New York Times details the accusation which were levelled against the former dictator and his son by Gen. Manuel Contreras who ran the Directorate of National Intelligence (The secret police) in Chile during the 1980s.
According to Contreras, the production of cocaine under the direction of General Pinochet took placein Talagante in Chile and the transport for the drugs was organised by the General’s son, Marco Antonio.
The drugs, according to the accusations, were destined for the USA and Europe with related proceeds going to the offshore bank accounts of the Pinochet family.
While the accusations are sure to spark cries for further investigation and perhaps cause some embarrassment for governments that were openly supporting Pinochet during his rule, it remains to be seen if anything will actually come of them. There are also quite a lot of holes to be filled - like how would Contrera be aware of “secret” accounts held by the Pinochet family, let alone know what was being funneled into them. Perhaps there are good answers to such questions, but that has not yet been established.
The fact that Contreras is also being held in detention for human rights abuses also casts some doubt on the veracity of his accusations, though perhaps explainable.
Either way, it will be interesting to watch this episode develop.