Sunday, December 11, 2011

General Manuel Noriega P.O.W.
Correspondence to Canada

This post shows a cover and autographed letter received from Manuel Noriega while he was a prisoner at the Federal Correctional Institute in Miami in 2009.

Manuel Noriega
General Manuel Noriega was the de facto leader of Panama from 1983 to 1989. The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power. Noriega was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to Miami where he was tried on eights counts of drug trafficking, racketeering and money laundering in April 1992. Under Article 85 of the Third Geneva Convention Noriega was still considered a prisoner of war. In Florida he had his own prison cell furnished with electronics and exercise equipment.

His prison sentence ended in September 2007. Noriega remained at the Federal Correctional Institute in Miami pending resolution of extradition requests from France and Panama. In April 2010, Noriega boarded a flight to Paris to face charges of money laundering. After a re-trial as a condition of the extradition, he was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in jail in July 2010. On December 11, 2011, Noriega was extradited to Panama.

Correspondence from General Noriega
The cover and letter below were sent by General Noriega (POW) to the author on July 29, 2009. The "Undercover Address", P.O. Box 779800, Miami, Fl., printed on the return address label conceals the fact that the correspondence had been sent from the Federal Correctional Institute, Miami.

Envelope


From "POW" General Manuel Noriega to Ontario, July 29, 2009

Undercover Address

Manuel Noriega added "GR" and "POW" to the printed returned address label:


P.O. Box 770800, Miami Fl.


General Noriega's Letter