Garcia, a former Secretary of Public Security in Mexico, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and sentenced to 60 months in prison. He appealed the conviction on the ground that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction. Garcia’s association with fellow conspirators led to the idea of conspiracy, as he was convicted of distributing methamphetamine. The US Justice Department argues that in exchange for bribes, the Sinaloa drug cartel received protection from Mexican government officials and a carte blanche to send cocaine and other drugs to the United States.
García reversed the Supreme Court’s 1976 decision in National League of Cities v. Usery, which restricted Congress’s power to regulate states “as states”. Garcia admitted to conspiring to transport ill-gotten cash proceeds across the country, disguised during the attempted transaction, and knowing that the money would not be declared as income. Garcia pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion and was charged with numerous drug offenses, including the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl.
On December 17, 2020, Garcia pled guilty to counts one and seven of the indictment charging defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit sex. She was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and appealed, arguing that she could not be convicted of such an offense. Garcia conspired to assault three rivals, and he was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, a class A felony, and sentenced to twenty years.
In summary, Garcia was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and sentenced to 60 months in prison. His actions were based on his association with fellow conspirators and the belief that he had a plan to facilitate trafficking.
📹 Why Diego Garcia Is America’s Most Controversial Military Base
The island of Diego Garcia grants the United States Military an excellent location for a military base but it is not without controversy …
Who is the most feared drug lord of all time?
Guzmán, the most notorious drug lord of all time, was part of the Guadalajara Cartel and later founded the Sinaloa Cartel. He is responsible for the majority of drugs imported into the US and thousands of deaths due to the drug war. In the early 1990s, Guzmán smuggled cocaine into the US from Mexico using tunnels. In 1993, authorities seized a shipment of cocaine concealed within chilli pepper cans in Tecate, Baja California. The druglord was arrested in Guatemala and transferred to Puente Grande prison in 1995.
He bribed his way out and hid inside a laundry van. In 2015, he made his second escape from prison, slipping through a hole under the shower and escaping through a mile-long tunnel. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced Guzmán’s recapture in January 2016.
How did the Zetas fall?
Los Zetas, a Mexican drug cartel, has experienced significant decline due to internal conflicts and fragmentation. After splitting from the Gulf Cartel in 2010, the cartel lost its unified structure, leading to power struggles and internal disputes. The Mexican government’s “kingpin strategy” has exacerbated these conflicts, resulting in power vacuums and further fragmentation among subgroups and former members.
The splintering of Los Zetas into rival factions has altered their territorial control and operational capabilities, but these smaller factions lack the cohesion and resources of the original cartel, creating a chaotic and less predictable criminal landscape.
What was the outcome of the Garcia v San Antonio case?
In a 5-to-4 decision, Harry A. Blackmun, writing for the majority, ruled that the principles of federalism espoused in National League of Cities v. Usery were unworkable and that the Social Security Act was subject to congressional legislation.
What was the outcome of the Kansas v Garcia case?
The Kansas Supreme Court reversed and remanded a 5-4 decision in Garcia, Morales, and Ochoa-Lara’s case, holding that the statutes under which they were convicted are not expressly preempted. The case involved key events such as the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision in March 2020, oral arguments, hearings, petitions from the State of Kansas, and the court’s decision in September 2017. The timeline details key events in this case.
What is the Garcia ruling?
The court ruled in favor of Garcia, determining that the subjective rules for determining governmental functions provided only limited guidance in determining the boundaries of federal and state powers.
Is Los Zetas still alive?
The Zetas, a group of corrupt police officers, former U. S. Army personnel, and ex-Kaibiles, the special forces of the Guatemalan military, has been responsible for a significant increase in violence during the Modern Mexican Drug Wars. They terrorized their enemies and used extreme violence and cruelty as a form of psychological warfare. They preferred military-style control of territory and exploited its criminal opportunities.
Despite their military training being diluted over time, their brutality remained unaffected. Rival cartels struggling against the Zetas began to adopt some of their tactics, further ramping up violence in Mexico. This led to the escalating violence to higher levels and new forms, including flaying, castration, and public displays of victims.
Following the capture and extradition of Cárdenas, Los Zetas became so powerful that they outnumbered and outclassed the Gulf Cartel in revenue, membership, and influence by 2010. This imbalance led to the Cartel trying to curtail their own enforcers’ influence and instigating a civil war.
The Cartel accused Los Zetas of expanding their operations to murder, theft, extortion, and kidnapping, actions that the Zetas countered by posting their own banners throughout Tamaulipas, noting that they had carried out executions and kidnappings under orders of the Cartel and that the Cartel was scapegoating them for the murders of innocent civilians.
Who is the most powerful drug lord in the world?
The Sinaloa cartel, the world’s largest drug lord, has been arrested in Mexico after decades of evasion. The US Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, praised the cartel for its role in fentanyl production and trafficking, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans and causing devastating effects on communities. FBI director Chris Wray praised the arrests as an example of the FBI’s commitment to dismantling violent transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel.
What’s the worst cartel in Mexico?
Los Zetas is a notorious Mexican drug cartel known for its brutal tactics, including beheadings, torture, and indiscriminate murder. The cartel operates in North America, including the United States, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Panama, and Venezuela. It is primarily focused on drug trafficking but also operates profitable sex and gun rackets. Los Zetas also operates through protection rackets, assassinations, extortion, kidnappings, and other illegal activities.
The organization was based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and its origins date back to the late 1990s when Mexican Army commandos deserted their ranks and began working as the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel. In February 2010, Los Zetas broke away and formed their own criminal organization, rivaling the Gulf Cartel. The cartel’s activities have led to widespread violence and criminal activities in Mexico and other countries.
What was the outcome of the Davis Garcia fight?
In a thrilling boxing match, three-time and five-division champion Davis and 23-1, 19-KO Garcia faced off in front of a packed crowd of 20, 842. Davis won the fight after landing a devastating left hand to Garcia’s body, which caused Garcia to wince and eventually kneel. Davis, who likes to play mind games, thought Garcia would get up, but Garcia shook his head and didn’t. Garcia, however, praised Davis for getting him with a good shot, stating he didn’t want to make excuses.
Who was Pablo Escobar afraid of?
“Griselda”, a six-part drama series on Netflix, follows the rise and fall of Griselda Blanco, a cocaine trafficker and a central figure in the Miami drug wars of the 1970s and ’80s. Created by “Narcos” and “Narcos: Mexico” producers Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, Eric Newman, and Ingrid Escajeda, the series follows Blanco’s exploits, including her role as “The Godmother” and “Black Widow”, and her role in the violent Miami drug wars.
Who is the most evil drug lord?
Pablo Escobar, the most powerful and wealthiest drug lord in history, was involved in illegal activities in Puerto Vallarta with Oscar Bernal Aguirre. He made a quick $700, 000 on the side by kidnapping and ransoming a Medellín executive before entering the drug trade. Escobar founded the Medellín cartel and was one of the wealthiest and most notorious drug lords until his death.
Carlos Lehder, born in Armenia, Colombia, was one of Colombia’s most dangerous drug barons in the early to mid-1980s. Born in Armenia, Lehder ran a cocaine transport empire on Norman’s Cay island, 210 miles off the Florida coast in the central Bahamas. Some people have said that Lehder, with German ancestry, was allegedly also active in the small Quintín Lamé Movement, an indigenous guerrilla related to the FARC and the M-19. Lehder’s ultimate scheme was to revolutionize the cocaine trade by transporting the drug to the United States using small aircraft from Norman’s Cay.
In 1987, he was extradited to the United States, where he was tried and sentenced to life without parole, plus an additional 135 years. In 1992, in exchange for Lehder’s agreement to testify against Manuel Noriega, his sentence was reduced to a total of 55 years. He is considered one of the most important Colombian drug kingpins to be successfully prosecuted in the United States.
📹 Ryan Garcia EXPOSES Satanic Rituals in Hollywood? | Kap Reacts
Ryan Garcia EXPOSES Satanic Rituals in Hollywood? | Kap Reacts Want to join me in a grassroots movement to shift …
Spent a 3-day USN port-o-call there in the late 80s. Got my Shellback on the way down and certainly enjoyed my stay on this beautiful atoll. I have been to many beaches around the world, but Diego Garcia has the clearest and most pristine water of them all. I guess being so dang far from any other civilization makes a difference.
I lived on Diego for 4 years (’07-‘1)1. There is a commercial airline which transports people from the island but it’s only quarterly and it’s called the “Contract Flight” which is provided by Philippine Airlines (PAL). This flight is primarily for the Filipino workers who are either leaving or returning from their 90 day vacations taken every 2 years. US contractors are allowed to take the PAL flight for free and can choose to either disembark in Paya Lebar Singapore, or continue on to Manila, Philippines. The natives are escorted back to the island during certain times of the year to visit the land and the grave sites of loved ones. It’s really conflicting having worked there and seen the natives returning. Prior to the UN vote, Britain tried to offer the natives any or all of the remaining islands of the archipelago EXCEPT “Diego Garcia”, the one with infrastructure. Another interesting thing about the island is how it survived the tsunami despite being only 5-10tf above sea-level at its highest point. This place also boast some of the best deep ocean fishing in the world (I’ve been told) and the trips are provided by the MWR, which was very good on the island. I could go on for a while, lol but I’going to close here…
My two favorite deployments were at what many would call the two most controversial US military bases: Guantanamo Bay and Diego Garcia. Having said that, I was in GTMO in the mid-90s, prior to the War on Terror as part of JTF-160 during the mass Cuban migrations. The infamous “Camp X-Ray” existed when I was there, but it was for the high-threat Cubans (confirmed murderers, rapists, etc.) in our custody. The vast majority of would-be Cuban migrants lived in other camps on the base that were more like refugee camps than prisons. The ones detained at Camp X-Ray were slated to be “repatriated” back to Cuba because of the severity of their crimes. While I was there, we processed about 20,000 migrants and the vast majority were allowed to immigrate to the US. I got to know quite a few of them, and they used to invite us into the camps off-duty and cook traditional Cuban meals for us. They were by-and-large very nice people. I was at Diego Garcia in 2002 as part of the War on Terror. We launched many of the heaving bombing missions in Afghanistan from DG. I was there as Security Forces and we nicknamed the deployment, “Gilligan’s Island with Guns.” Even though it was the height of the US War on Terror, we were literally in the middle of the Indian Ocean and the biggest threat we faced were the sting rays lurking in the sand in the lagoon. They were both actually very enjoyable deployments. In both places, the weather, beaches, scenery and swimming were absolutely amazing. I miss those days.
I been. Fascinating lagoon, bright water from pink sparkling sand near shore and huge fish further out (there’s no fishing fleets) so it’s pristine. The coconut crabs are huge. Lots of cool things in a spot so tiny, in some places the road has a narrow strip of sandy beach on each side and a wave can wash over from one side to the next.
Stationed on Diego Garcia while in the Navy back in 1977 for 1 entire year.Worked out at the primitive POL and airfield.Had P3 Orions flying out of there at the time.Air Force would fly C141s out on Wednesdays and Saturdays for supplies.Had a C5 with a U2 fly in together.Could not get near that U2.British and French planes would make occasional visits and one occasion a KC135 with someone with very high ranking aboard.Rumors that there was something secret on one off the three tiny islands at the entrance.Were not allowed to go out there.Nights we went to the enlisted club and drank 10 cent Olympia beer.Get shit faced for $1.No women on the island didn’t make it fun though.Wish I could go back there now.
For the most part a fairly balanced documentary. Some of the stock footage you’re using though is inaccurate and, in one case, appears to have been deliberately chosen to be misleading about the circumstances you’re trying to report. This could hurt your credibility if you’re trying to advocate for the islanders. At 5:12 you’re using a Canadian ship (the Maple Leaf flag at the stern being a dead giveaway) instead of an American one. At 6:05, where you’re illustrating the 3 nautical mile exclusion zone but using an animation that appears to be several hundred miles across as if the Americans were trying to claim a quarter of the Indian Ocean. These can be put down to limited time and resources but, at 7:16, you showed stock footage of a violent protest with burning trucks and helmeted protesters throwing rocks and debris. As you didn’t mention a protest of any kind in the text, let a alone a violent one of this scale, using this footage creates a provocative image. Remember, credibility is everything in legitimate documentary work. You don’t have to be utterly unbiased and can certainly advocate to address social injustices but you have to do it with the facts and not propaganda.
I was stationed there for a year in 1974. I worked at the islands power plant and lived in a plywood hutch on the beach as there were no real buildings. We caught and cooked coconut crabs. The Sea Bees would come and build buildings like a barracks, chow hall, etc. There were only a few of us on the island and 12 crazy Brits. A year was a long time to spend on isolated duty.
I was in NMCB40. I did a full detachment to DG in 1979. And 6 months later I went back with my battalion. Two 9 month back to back deployments there. One of the most beautiful places I ever seen. Lived in old Vietnam type plywood huts which was great since it was so hot there. I’m sure it’s all motel style barracks now. Also back then it was only guys. If there was a women in your battalion she was sent on a det somewhere. It’s to bad such a great little place had to be turned into what it is. But it’s a very important base.
Supposedly where the missing MH370 landed using EPAS which the island was retrofitted with. This according to eye witness fishermen near the island that watched it land as well as the island being at the exact “last ping” radius location. The MH370 and her low flight hour twin sister jet (with identical Malaysian paint scheme mothballed in a hangar) both had EPAS systems installed according to serial numbers and BOTH could be remotely flown. Engineers at Rolls Royce did state the engines were safely shut down after reverse thrust and no indication of water intake or abnormal RPM/vibration. The PLANE LANDED before the engineer was forced to retract the statement. Irony of this is the discovery website had a special about the Rolls engine in all jets have their own dedicated 24/7 GPS link to Rolls HQ at all times, this is a fact. It cannot be disabled by the pilot as it is built into the engine ECU itself. Rolls Royce engineers know the situation of every engine leased at any moment at every location on Earth. Planespotters.org finding that shiny new mothballed clone jet in the Israel hangar probably disrupted a false flag event.
Diego Garcia was one of the the overseas shore duty stations for sailors, that counted as sea duty. Civilians don’t know how hard it is to live aboard a warship that is constantly under weigh, or training for six month WestPac cruises, or going to overhaul in a shipyard somewhere. The major problem in the 80’s with DG, was that all there was to do there at that point, was to drink alcohol. A lot of squids became alchy’s there, lol.
So in the 1970s, around a thousand people, who had been essentially indentured workers, and were required to work for a living by the local government or be deported, were removed from the island, in some admittedly nasty ways, although they weren’t injured or killed. Since then, the US and other nations have been conducting air and naval operations from the island, greatly reducing problems like the Somali pirates and interests from the USSR and more recently China. Now, fifty years later, the people who were removed, presumably as children or young adults, are trying to return, and have made enough noise to be heard by the do-gooders circling the UN. These maybe 300-400 people are claiming that their previous lives as indentured workers on a failing coconut plantation is more important than the stability of shipping routes in the Indian Ocean, a region that already sees more than $6 billion in piracy yearly, and would only get worse without a stable US Navy presence. What the fuck is the UN smoking?
I was stationed there for a year; it’s remote, it’s tropical, and small. The British Royal Police provide internal security, the British Marines provide security in the waters around, the US maintains the airfield and other…stuff. There’s a large contingent of Filipino contractors who maintain the facilities, cut the grass, maintain roads, generators, etc.
Spent some time on “the rock” in 76 while serving with the navy. We were there to build up the islands infrastructure. Used to drink at the royal marines club until we got kick out/banned for fighting to often. Very hot, humid during the dry season and hot, humid and wet during the wet (monsoon) season. I served as a mechanic for the construction equipment, our shop was right next to the parking apron at the airport, where we extended the runway to handle 52’s. Also started building barracks for af personal and started on pier construction. Not much to do there except work, drink and fight, but not necessarly in that order.
Beautiful island with turquoise blue, crystal clear water. Also great sport fishing. The fishing boats will clean & take your catch to the base all hands club. The Club then prepares a wonderful feast for however big your group is. I landed a 54 lb Tuna. Matched with the other catches of the day, the Club fed anyone who wanted to eat that night. It was deeeeeelicious! My idea of paradise! Cheers, Lt Col Jet
Brought there as slaves/labor, they were governed by the nation who controlled the islands. The islands have changed hands and people who lived there were subject to whatever government was in charge. The British govern these islands and can do as they please, the inhabitants are not indigenous, they have no claim to these islands, never did, never will. That may not seems fair, but sometimes, that is how the wave breaks.
We called that place “Devil’s Island”, like from that book Pappillion. I remember my last mission there during the Tora Tora bombings. I remember we brought in salvage boats for a recovery operation of a crashed B-1 . I remember the nose gear wouldnt extend and I had to get it down. Tired after a 24 hour duty day, and now that! Glad I took lots of pics over 20 years worth of visits there and Africa.
IMPORTANT INFO : The British stole this island from my country which is Mauritius situated near Diego Garcia in the indian ocean. Mauritius was ruled by the British, they forced and blackmailed Mauritius in 1968 saying we will give you independence only if we keep the chagos archipelago,i.e Diego Garcia, they forced our local ppl out from there own island like animals, since then we are still fighting to get our land back from the UK/US tandem, the United nations have already condemned them, but its David against Goliath. Our fight continues to get our land back…There response is that when we will need it no more then we may give it back, to be noted they threatened my country numerous times with sanctions but we stood firm and and still went to the UN council which rulef in the favour of the Mauritian gvt…but who can make them do right to our people….someday they will pay, karma is a bitch. i love my country and they stole part of it. Just imagine how it feels, its a beautiful place, In creole we say “RANN NOU NOU DIEGO”.
There is a similar misunderstanding of ownership in the USA about what they call ‘Wideawake’ when in fact it is a British Overseas Territory called ‘Ascension Island’. The Americans only rent a base there as does the European Space Agency (which they will lose if they get too stroppy about a trade deal)
“The strategic importance of the Indian Ocean” part should be your clue as to why the UN who is now mostly ran by anti western sentiment, had voted to get the US and the UK off the Island. The vote had jack s^^t to do with helping the natives. The idea of moving two supper powers who maintains law and order in a huge region in favor of helping out the natives who have been paid over 4.6 million pounds in compensation is just stupid. The vote had everything to do with weakening the US and the UK’s presence in the region and forcing the bombers off that island. Bombers I might add that have bombed member nations on the security council of the UN for… guess what, violating UN resolutions. The UN is no longer serving it’s mission and is ran by left wing extremists or fascist regimes that have zero interest in democracy except to only pay it lip service.
I was stationed there in 1995-1996 for about 13 months. The narrator left out a few things. 1. Philippines contract workers run the island. 2. There were about 20-30 British royal marines there. 3. Everyone lived in the northwest corner. Most of the island is uninhabited except by spider crabs and feral cats. 4. The only cars were military vehicles, everyone road bikes. 5. Can’t swim on the outside ring of the island because of the riptide, only the inside, of course the island waters are full of fire coral so no one swam anyways. Though there was 1 pool. 6. The place is really just a gas station for planes flying through. 7. That there were only about 2000 military stationed there, mostly US Navy,, of which 17 were girls.. 8. Lastly alcohol was super cheap there. I loved that place.
Some of my friends are retired military members. They all say that spending time on Diego Garcia is hell. I’ve heard a story that if you are going to the beach and planning on swimming, you have to be out of the water by something like 9 or 10 am, because after that the sharks come in and you will be injured or die. They told me the humidity and heat is the worst they have ever experienced. They said there is nothing to do in your off hours. Whenever I bring up the subject with retired Navy people, whether they have been there or not, they groan.
i know somebody whose grandma was mistress of a certain brit and during the time our country got independent and when he left, he left a child (along with two other biological kids they had) to be raised with her. That kid was from the island, his mother died or something. My grandpa was a nobody sheep grazer and he got a bit of land offered to marry her /pretend they were his. She literally moved from shimla to delhi to kolkata and then to a tiny village in actual dessert. She didn’t even speak the language of the place . It’s funny as how non one in our family never talked about how my dad and siblings didn’t look like our grandpa at all or how kids of a sheep grazer could afford to go boarding school or house in somerset. What i mean to say is not all of them were shipped away, a bunch of them died also. Some officers were kind but not all.
I’ve been to Diego Garcia, I met my Destroyer USS Cochrane DDG-21 (it was tied up next to a Destroyer Tender) there, arriving on a direct MAC flight from the Philippines. December of 80. Played softball on one of its ball fields. The Island is well located strategically and is almost irreplaceable as long as we stay forward-deployed to the Indian Ocean on a permanent basis.
The US has a 99 year lease from the British Government and it use to be a copra plantation. A long runway and several macadamia nut trees their and a few things to do their . One there’s NO swimming or wading in the surrounding waters because they are teaming with hammerhead sharks, all sizes of sharks
When I was in the Navy my unit “supposedly” flew in and out of there. I worked ground support so never got to go, plus it was during the Vietnam War years, so no one was supposed to know anything about Diego Garcia. What little leaked out in conversations left me with the impression that it was 1 giant rock with a landing strip and a literal “handful” of buildings. Picture one of those VERY rudimentary air bases you see in WW II movies…that was the picture I was given of the place. But then, that was also 45 years ago, I imagine there has been significant upgrading since the 70s-80s.
If you want to learn how to deliver such asensitive topic as this one, with keeping the dignity of the island originals, then it’s best to have a look at the world-renowned documentary-maker, Mr. John Pilger’s material. He is not just telling a story, but warmly & kindly including the history of the locals and portrays the utter injustice that they endured. It’s one of a kind. His journalistic skills, his demeanor and knowledge are unmatched. We learned LOADS from him, xx..
I spent three months in Diego Garcia in 1983. Our u.s. Navy ship was anchored in the lagoon. We served as a repair ship. We could take a small Liberty boat ashore but there really wasn’t much to do besides drink. There were a few Filipino civilians working on the island but there was not one single woman on the entire Island. A few times I walked around the island in an afternoon. The water inside the Lagoon is rather murky and stirred up. It’s very windy there, a small sailboat would have been fun inside the Lagoon. Everyone was glad to leave.
I was deployed there in 1985 and 1987 while serving in US Navy as an aircraft mechanic. I recall the huge coconut crabs walking on the beach. They’re claws are big and strong enough to carry coconuts😬. I actually enjoyed it there. btw I was also sent to Cocos Keeling Islands in 1987 They are a small group of islands also in the Indian Ocean Australia owns these. When the tide was low you could walk to neighboring islands. The ppl residing on Diego Garcia were very friendly but not the actual natives. Not sure if the ppl residing at Cocos Islands are natives however they were very friendly too. I made some good friends with the Aussies living there as well
Diego Garcia is a VERY important base. But, I would wager that Wright Patterson, Groom Lake, Autec and Dugway are more controversial/suspicious. Ill tell you this. I live in Utah out in the country and Dugway is an absolutely max security base. They do some weird shit there and Ive seen some weird shit too.
If you surf, and I mean surf very, very well… Listen up! Ahoy there Mates, I was in a VP outfit out of Barbers Point back in the 70’s and used to deploy to the P.I. and to Okinawa in a P-3 squadron. My particular job would always secure me some outstanding lodging along a white sand beach, in a plywood hootch, overlooking the Diego Garcia lagoon with coconut trees gently swaying overhead. For the record, I surfed almost daily while stationed back in Hawaii, and even surfed frequently in the Philippines while not “vacationing” in Diego. It was pretty hot there… Too hot actually to enjoy much outdoor activity at all… However, while hiking around the tip of the island one day where the old rusty Japanese cannon is crumbling away, about a quarter mile out, is a freight train left, maybe three quarters of a mile long, that in my world in the 70’s was probably un-makeable, but absolutely beautiful to watch. Considering what the kids are doing these days, if you like spending 30 or 40 seconds in the shade inside a barrel on a 10 footer at 30 mph, don’t forget to take your quiver. I’m sure there are other spots, I never had time to check the other side of the lagoon, and like anywhere in the Indian Ocean, Cone shells, Super shallow reefs, large sharks, and the local brits, at least when I was there, frown on surfing there, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Good Luck!
You didn’t even mention how Diego Garcia was for a long time the Forward Operating Base for the Royal Australian Air Force operating both Legacy Hornets and the Super Hornet, C-130s, AWACS and Tankers for close air support in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. They were were also responsible for scrambling fighters for aerial defence on the base should radar pick up an unidentified starting in 2002. It is a very secretive base.
I was stationed there from January to December of 1973 with NMCB74. No civilians, no females no A/C, plywood huts we built for ourselves, a couple uso shows and an R and R in Bangkok. I counted every day off the calendar and couldnt wait to get home. I spent my 21st birthday drinking in the em club. I was a steelworker and worked welding the fuel tanks by the airport 6 days a week until they were done and then went elsewhere to work 6 days a week in temps of 110 and above every day.
You utterly dismissed and ignored the fact that Mauritius has legit claims on the islands and that the International court of justice has ruled that the UK should decolonize the territory and hand it back to Mauritius. Also it is the country that proposed the UN vote. A good presentation but without the actual stakeholder.
I am British and I think it is a disgrace that the British government leased this island to the U.S. They must give it back immediately. Having said that, there is a small village in Wiltshire, England where the British government pushed out the population during WWII. The local people there were promised they could return home after the war. It never happened. They are still banned today from going back there. The British Army has taken it over for target practice. It is disgraceful.
You can call “Fantasy Island” “controversial” until the end of time, it isn’t going anywhere. It’s arguably the most important military base in the world. “Bob Lazar’s Spaceship” is there, the SR 71 replacement that you know as “Aurora” but is actually called “Senior Citizen”. That’s why it “disappeared”, it went to its operational base “Fantasy Island”. This base was originally established for the SR-71’s. Just look at a map, the entire world other than N & S America is arrayed around it like a crescent, it is the perfect base for strategic recon planes, and nobody will ever see… or feel… them taking off and landing. An airbase in this location is only useful for patrolling the Indian Ocean… of for very long range planes like “Senior Citizen”. There is nothing alien about what you used to call “Aurora”, it is a lifting body pulse detonation scramjet that was discovered by Phil Klass way back in the 1990s as being “Bob Lazar’s Alien Spaceship”. Phil even found it’s real name accidentally listed in a budget. Diego Garcia’s code name is, or at least was, “Fantasy Island” and it was supposed to be a part of the whole story but it didn’t make it into the X-Files… so only the “Ufologists” know about it. Baby Bond, 009 – The MIB Ufologist
I spent 3 months anchored offshore from Diego Garcia back in the 80’s I was on a sub tender. I had to go through british customs when are liberty boat went to the beach each day. They had a MARS station & it cost me $60 for a 15 minute call home. We would watch the brits play cricket & play baseball or lounge around drinking . The waters are shark infested with coral snakes, sea snakes & stone fish. They called it the footprint of freedom.
I just don’t understand the Claim on the island by the by the so-called “natives.” No One is native to Diego Garcia. The ones who claim to be natives were Forced to the island by the French as Slaves; they are not native. Therefore, they have no claim to the land. And it’s certainly not their “homeland.”
The controversy was much later than my visits in the late 70s. When they started allowing Naval female enlisted to be deployed to DG there was a minor issue with several of them sending home 3-5 times their Navy pay home each month. For some reason the Navy changed policy about deploying females there…..
I have been there aboard the USS Jason AR8, great experience, awesome time with my friends, I had no idea of those displaced inhabitants, but I must say that very very probably they are much better off where they went because Diego Garcia is by far too small and far far away from everywhere elsewhere
Bro, your use of stock footage is very misleading. I’ve been to this base several times (C-17 pilot). I can attest that the VAST majority of the phots you have chosen for this article are clearly not Diego. But, when your chosen photo is shown with the narration, the viewer is led to believe something false. While I appreciate your efforts to highlight/educate regarding this interesting place, to uphold academic integrity I would encourage you to place a “stock footage” caption on appropriate photos (or some similar effort).
Something you got very wrong, the island of Diego Garcia belongs to Mauritius, not the UK. The 50 year lease they obtained from Mauritius ended years ago and the UN has already declared Mauritius the rightful owners of the island and the UK occupation illegal and immoral. The UK just refused to return the Island because the US pays them $2bn per year for the Island. The US just kept quiet about it even though the Mauritian government offered them the same deal. The island is property of Mauritius and had been so from the time of decolonisation, the UK simply are illegally holding onto the island. Do your research properly
There are no indigenous islanders, only remains of the workforce that was contracted to work in the copra industry. These workers had no work or support when the copra operation shut down. None of these employees ever had title to property on the island. Another issue is infrastructure, until the US Navy developed basic utilities such as drinking water, sanitary waste disposal, and electricity generation the island was uninhabitable. The group calling themselves natives never lead a sustainable existence without outside support either from a government or company.
Even though the former residents werent actually indigenous to the islands, I do feel for the natives. Your ancestors were inslaved, then taken from your homeland and made to work for the French on an island in the middle of nowhere. Then you gradually make your new island a home, only to have a super power kick you off to make a base. Not having goodluck are they? Still, the strategic value is too important to just give away.
Interesting. So if I understand this, the island was uninhabited and unclaimed when first discovered by the Spanish. The French then settled the island, brought in slaves from Africa and Madagascar, then ceded the island to the UK. After it was ceded to the UK, the British then moved out the descendants of the slaves. Then the country of Mauritius decided the island should be theirs, even though they had never claimed it before the French settled it, and the descendants of the slaves that were brought in are now considered the “native” people of the island? If an island or land is uninhabited and unclaimed by another nation, then who does it belong to? How long do people have to be settled there before they are considered “native”, and since clearly length of time on the island is not a factor, as Europeans have been in Diego Garcia longer than the so-called “natives”, what makes people “native”? This is completely different than a nation invading or colonizing an already inhabited land, or a land long claimed by another country. Of course that is not acceptable by any standards. I am talking specifically, and only, about an uninhabited and unclaimed piece of land.
I was stationed there for two-years in the early ’90s. I was a Navy Journalist, and worked at the base TV and Radio station. During that time a truck carrying U.S. Marines rolled over and injured about 10 of them. Navy public affairs regulations at the time stated we had to put out a press release on any type of adverse incident within 24-hours. Our staff put together a release about the accident, submitted it to the chain of command, and it was quietly round filed (slang for tossed in the trash). At that time information about the island, and what went on there, was tightly controlled, not because the island or operations were super secret, but because every time something about the island did show up in the media, the former inhabitants of the island would hold protests. I did enjoy my time there. I had a great job, and spent a lot of time fishing.