Barry Seal, a pilot and major smuggler for the Medellin cartel, became a DEA informant before being assassinated on the orders of Pablo Escobar in 1986. In 1988, House Judiciary Committee testimony revealed that Seal took part in a sting operation in which CIA installed cameras on his plane, allowing him to photograph Escobar and other members of the Medellin Cartel load large amounts of cocaine for transportation with the help of the Sandinista Minister of the Interior. These photographs were used by President Reagan as part of his effort to raise support for the Contras.

The FBI’s found 21,826 pages of records on Seal, whose life touched on some of the most significant narcotics cases – and one of the biggest political scandals – of the 20th century.