The rumours have circulated for decades. Did the CIA flood the inner cities of the US with crack cocaine in the 1980s? Was the American government actually responsible for the crack epidemic?

Often dismissed as a conspiracy theory, but passionately believed by huge sections of the population – the idea that US intelligence agencies knowingly protected drug traffickers and played a role in bringing cocaine into the US is one of the most often repeated stories of the War on Drugs.

But what is the truth to these allegations? It turns out the real story is perhaps even stranger than the street-level gossip.

This is how one reporter exposed a web of CIA cover-ups, and how the rest of the media destroyed him for doing so.

00:00 Intro
01:16 Where it All Began
03:32 ‘Freeway’ Rick Ross
05:21 Dark Alliance
08:36 CIA Report

Check out the VICE World News playlist for global reporting you won't find elsewhere:    • Global News  

Watch more from this series:

How Mexican Drug Cartels Make Billions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dti7i...

The Deadliest Cartel in Mexico
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cm9E...

Why Mexican Cartels Use American Guns
   • Why Mexican Cartels Use American Guns...  


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