Manuel Noriega

Some Lesser Known Facts About Manuel Noriega

• Did Manuel Noriega smoke:? Not Known

• Did Manuel Noriega drink alcohol:? Yes

• He was born as Manuel Antonio Noriega Morena in Panama City, the Republic of Panama.

• His father, Ricaurte Noriega, was an accountant.

• At the age of 5, Noriega was abandoned by his parents. Later, he was raised by his aunt, Mama Luisa.

• In 1968, he became the Lieutenant of the Panama National Guard.

• In 1970, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

• In 1971, he visited the United States at the request of the US Government to help secure the release of the crews of 2 American freighters seized by the Cuba.

• In 1983, he became the Chief of Military Intelligence.

• In August 1983, he was promoted to General and Commander of the National Guard.

• He took command of the Panamanian Army and remained military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1990.

• On 20 December 1989, the United States invaded Panama and launched “Operation Just Cause” to oust Noriega.

• On 3 January 1990, he surrendered to the US Army.

• On 10 July 1992, the US Court sentenced him to 40 years in prison.

• On 4 March 1999, the US Court reduced his sentence to 30 years.

• On 26 April 2010, he was extradited to France after Hillary Clinton (the then US Secretary of State) signed an extradition order.

• On 11 December 2011, a French Appeals Court extradited him to Panama to serve out his sentences for past crimes.

• On 5 February 2012, Noriega was hospitalized in Panama City for hypertension and a possible stroke.

• On 9 May 2012, he was hospitalized in Panama City for bronchitis.

• On 15 July 2014, he filed a lawsuit against the Activision Blizzard (a video game company) for harming his reputation with the game, “Call of Duty: Black Ops II.” 

• On 24 June 2015, Noriega apologized on Telemetro (the local broadcaster) to his country for the offenses of his regime.

• On 12 May 2016, his doctor reported that he will need to undergo a surgery to remove a benign brain tumor.

• On 29 May 2017, he died after suffering a hemorrhage following brain surgery.