Former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega died in a Panama City hospital on Monday. He was 83 years old. Noriega had been in a coma since March. He had been recovering from several operations related to removing cancer from his brain earlier this year. Noriega ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989. His time in power is remembered as a time of corruption and violence in the Central American country. Before and during his rule, Noriega received millions of dollars in payments from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In exchange, he provided intelligence to the U.S. government. He reported on events in Panama and the rest of Latin America. At the time, a number of rebel groups operated in the area. Noriega informed the CIA about guerilla and terrorist activities. The United States used his information to seize illegal drugs at sea and follow the secret movement of money in and out of Panama’s banks. But his relations with the U.S. government worsened after a political opponent was killed in 1985. In addition, Noriega appeared to begin working with the drug traffickers. Members of Panama’s military attempted to overthrow him but failed. The leaders of the attempted rebellion were arrested and executed without being tried. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush ordered 28,000 U.S. troops to invade Panama, oust Noriega from power and capture him.
