{"id":424922,"date":"2022-04-01T00:44:55","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T21:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/life-of-a-drug-smuggler-turned-cia-op\/"},"modified":"2022-04-01T00:44:55","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T21:44:55","slug":"life-of-a-drug-smuggler-turned-cia-op","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-of-a-drug-smuggler-turned-cia-op\/","title":{"rendered":"#Life of a drug smuggler turned CIA op"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a24a0aabc8bb\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a24a0aabc8bb\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-of-a-drug-smuggler-turned-cia-op\/#%E2%80%9CLife_of_a_drug_smuggler_turned_CIA_op%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Life of a drug smuggler turned CIA op&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-of-a-drug-smuggler-turned-cia-op\/#A_real_mystery_man\" >A real mystery man<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-of-a-drug-smuggler-turned-cia-op\/#Illusive_identities\" >Illusive identities<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-of-a-drug-smuggler-turned-cia-op\/#Escobars_fly_guy\" >Escobar\u2019s fly guy<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CLife_of_a_drug_smuggler_turned_CIA_op%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Life of a drug smuggler turned CIA op&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In 1977, the town of Hazen, Arkansas, was distraught to hear that Gary Betzner, a local crop duster with three young children had plunged to his death off the steep White River Bridge.<\/p>\n<p>A pastor broke the somber <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> to Polly,  Betzner\u2019s oldest daughter from his first marriage on her sixth birthday. She, like his other two children, was grief-stricken and confused. <\/p>\n<p>But nobody took it worse than his second wife, Sally, who became so inconsolable she was detained in a psych ward of a nearby hospital for days.<\/p>\n<p>The entire town was dumbfounded as to why a seemingly h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y, financially stable 30-something man would leap to his death in broad daylight \u2014 especially the authorities, who only ever recovered clothes and shoes, but no body. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"842\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot.jpg?w=842\" alt=\"Gary Betzner was not the family man thought to have jumped off a bridge in Arkansas. He became a multimillionaire smuggling drugs.\" class=\"wp-image-21719479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1263 1263w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=842 842w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=421 421w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 842px) 100vw, 842px\"\/><figcaption>Gary Betzner was not the family man thought to have jumped off a bridge in Arkansas. He became a multimillionaire smuggling drugs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s because there was no body to be found.<\/p>\n<p>Betzner faked his death to live a dangerous double life \u2014\u00a0as a multimillionaire, international drug smuggler for Pablo Escobar, while also mounting a covert CIA war almost simultaneously.<\/p>\n<p>His fascinating, stranger-than-fiction story is the subject of a new <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/trk.hbomax.com\/aff_c?offer_id=5&amp;aff_id=1020&amp;source=nyp\">HBO Max<\/a> docu<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>, \u201cThe Invisible Pilot,\u201d premiering Monday, April 4 at 9 p.m. The three-part, eye-opening tale covers Betzner\u2019s unlikely transition from family man to drug maven, wrangling covert US government operations in Central America.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"780\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot6.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The true story of Gary Betzner is not for the faint of heart. He became a notorious international smuggler in the late 1970s through early 1980s.\" class=\"wp-image-21719168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot6.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot6.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The true story of Gary Betzner is not for the faint of heart. He became a notorious international smuggler in the late 1970s through the early 1980s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe see him as this sort of \u2018Forrest Gump\u2019 character, he\u2019s everywhere,\u201d Ari Mark, who co-directs with Phil Lott told The Post of Betzner, who is still alive and is now in his 80s. <\/p>\n<p>The docuseries, executive produced by Adam McKay who is known for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/2021\/01\/28\/where-to-watch-the-big-short\/?_ga=2.160147581.1769892552.1648486300-1069718980.1621949406\">wild anti-establishment stories like \u201cThe Big Short,\u201d<\/a> was \u201ca dream come true\u201d collaboration for the directors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"691\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot7.jpg?w=691\" alt=\"The hard to believe life of Gary Betzner is the subject of a new HBO documentary, &quot;The Invisible Pilot.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-21731480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot7.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1037 1036w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot7.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=691 691w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot7.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=346 345w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot7.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 691px) 100vw, 691px\"\/><figcaption>The hard to believe life of Gary Betzner is the subject of a new HBO documentary, \u201cThe Invisible Pilot.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_real_mystery_man\"><\/span>A real mystery man<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Even the directors, who sat down with Betzner a number of times through the course of the project, say it\u2019s hard to pin down who he really is.<\/p>\n<p>He grew up in the South, with an abusive father who left his mother when Gary was young. Years later, he joined the Navy, where he served in a communications branch. Betzner also says he was trained as a pilot, learning how to fly undetected with precious cargo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is as cagey about [his military service] as he is about anything and we desperately tried to get his records from the Navy,\u201d Lott said. \u201cWhether it was piloting or he was in communications, he definitely picked up something [about evading radar] there.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1016\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot2-edited.jpg\" alt=\"Gary Betzner is a man of mystery who revolutionized drug peddling.\" class=\"wp-image-21719216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot2-edited.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot2-edited.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Gary Betzner is a man of mystery who revolutionized drug peddling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>After starting a family in Arkansas, the crop duster moved briefly to Alaska in 1976, in the hopes of working in the state\u2019s booming oil industry. It was there he started dabbling in small-time pot smuggling. A year later, Betzner \u2014 an anti-establishment hippie whose love of substances was not limited to marijuana \u2014 was busted in Miami on narcotics charges. <\/p>\n<p>He returned to Arkansas, but was picked up for possession a second time there. His choice was simple: spend half his life in jail or disappear.<\/p>\n<p>Telling not a soul but his wife, Sally, the two hatched the plan to fake Betzner\u2019s death. She threw his clothes in the river and told authorities that he jumped off the bridge outside their hometown. <\/p>\n<p>Sally was so <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> that she even took hypnosis classes with her husband to deliver her yearslong performance as the grieving widow to the townsfolk. Her nervous breakdown, according to Sally in the documentary, was part of the act.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot5.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The bridge where Betzner faked his suicide is shown in &quot;The Invisible Pilot.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-21719226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/The-Invisible-Pilot5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The bridge where Betzner faked his suicide is shown in \u201cThe Invisible Pilot.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Illusive_identities\"><\/span>Illusive identities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After a year of being presumed dead, Betzner was hiding out in Hawaii under a fake name and would have his family come visit periodically.<\/p>\n<p>But then he got busted yet again in his new, tropical locale. Again, Betzner had to go on the run to avoid a life in jail \u2014 only this time, he upped the ante and became truly invisible, even to his loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>Untethered, Betzner entered the underworld of high-profile, international drug smuggling.<\/p>\n<p>By 1980, Gary had moved around the US under several aliases as he began his work as a smuggler for various groups and cartels \u2014 putting his crop-dusting skills and military experience to good use. He <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ed from place to place under the guise of a chiropractor, a car salesman, a real estate broker and many other trades, all the while flying planes for his bosses. Fittingly, it all went down during the height of President Ronald Reagan\u2019s war on drugs. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/president-ronald-reagan.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Betzner's drug smuggling heyday took place during Ronald Regan's war on drugs.\" class=\"wp-image-21731551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/president-ronald-reagan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/president-ronald-reagan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/president-ronald-reagan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Betzner\u2019s drug smuggling heyday took place during Ronald Reagan\u2019s war on drugs.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Bettmann Archive<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s a shapeshifter \u2026 and he pulled [multiple lives] off,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n<p>Betzner, who retired his birth name for his most frequently used moniker Lucas Harmony, quickly accrued an \u201castronomical\u201d fortune from his newfound career while living in South Florida, according to Mark.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>\u201cPhil and I spent a lot of time with him in the Miami and Coconut Grove area retracing steps. \u2018That guy owes me 50 million, those people owe me 100 million\u2019 and you\u2019re like, \u2018OK!\u2019\u201d he added. \u201cHe has all kinds of stories about trading cars and giving gifts, he was actually a fairly generous guy. He gave a lot of it away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His motivation for the death-defying runs \u2014 where Betzner said he was once chased by Cuban MiG fighter jets for flying in their airspace \u2014 wasn\u2019t actually about making money, the directors said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery flight he brought in, he felt like he was being a patriot. That\u2019s a twisted world view that, in his mind, is absolutely 100% correct,\u201d Lott said. \u201cI think Gary wants to be extraordinary. It\u2019s such a quintessentially American idea, right? It\u2019s like: \u2018I\u2019m a small town crop duster, but \u2026 I\u2019m a really good pilot, I\u2019m really good at what I do, boy, I can do better than [crop dusting] and I can keep ascending,\u2019\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Escobars_fly_guy\"><\/span>Escobar\u2019s fly guy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"717\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/pablo-escobar.jpg?w=717\" alt=\"Infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar was close to Gary Betzner.\" class=\"wp-image-21731601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/pablo-escobar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1434 1434w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/pablo-escobar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1076 1075w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/pablo-escobar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=717 717w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/pablo-escobar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=359 358w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/pablo-escobar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px\"\/><figcaption>Infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar was close to Gary Betzner.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the early 1980s, Betzner made a new contact to fly for \u2014 the notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEscobar and him seemed to have a mutual respect,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGary tells a great story of purchasing planes and he created Pablo Escobar\u2019s air force. And it was several planes, big planes, not just single engines or twin engines \u2014 these were jets,\u201d Lott added. \u201cAnd he tells several stories about spending time flying planes to Chile and just flying around looking for great valleys and beautiful vistas with Pablo Escobar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Around the same time, Betzner found another new employer in the United States government.<\/p>\n<p>After catching wise to his illegal dealings, the CIA leveraged Betzner to do their dirty work of arming anti-communist, Contra rebels in Nicaragua during a black ops mission. To avoid jail time, Betzner agreed to fly weapons and explosives to the ranch of John Hull, an American contractor in Costa Rica who worked with the CIA.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"657\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/contras-rebels.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Gary Betzner was leveraged into flying weapons to arm anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua, he said. \" class=\"wp-image-21733552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/contras-rebels.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/contras-rebels.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/contras-rebels.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Gary Betzner was leveraged into flying weapons to arm anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua, he said. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Sygma via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Specifically, he twice hauled M-16 rifles, mines, and C-4 explosives down to the property, bringing back a near 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of cocaine, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/7be09dcb7a73b89414a572167ac53251\">according to an Associated Press report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThat tension is messed up. You\u2019re dealing with these two kind of superpowers playing them off each other in some kind of way,\u201d Mark said of Betzner\u2019s unlikely employers. \u201cI think for him, and I\u2019ve experienced this firsthand, he is so incredibly good at shapeshifting \u2014 at rolling with whatever the situation is and making it work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Betzner\u2019s incredible run came to an abrupt end in 1984, when he was busted in Florida for smuggling Escobar\u2019s cocaine. After being sentenced to 27 years in jail, Betzner spited the CIA \u2014 who he says had guaranteed him immunity from jail \u2014 by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?2124-1\/drug-control-central-america-day-4#!\">testifying to the false flag mission<\/a> and many more secrets of government-known drug smuggling.<\/p>\n<p>He did so publicly in 1988 to a Senate Committee led by John Kerry, where he even pointed to the exact runway he landed on in Costa Rica.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/1980-Cessna-172N-Skyhawk.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Gary Betzner's flights have become a unique part of American history and covert foreign policy.\" class=\"wp-image-21733565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/1980-Cessna-172N-Skyhawk.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/1980-Cessna-172N-Skyhawk.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/1980-Cessna-172N-Skyhawk.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Gary Betzner\u2019s flights have become a unique part of American history and covert foreign policy.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Shutterstock \/ Ryan Fletcher<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But Betzner\u2019s policy-altering testimony also put him at risk of pissing off his other boss. <\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Escobar] knew where I was from, my children, that I \u2018committed suicide,&#8217;\u201d Betzner says in the series. \u201cApparently he hired somebody [in the US] to investigate who I was as, like, insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was this implication of collateral, the collateral being his family,\u201d Mark said. \u201cThere was this sort of unspoken surveillance that Escobar and his people made very clear to Gary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Betzner served his full sentence, and Escobar left his family alone. He reconnected with his kids and now lives humbly with his third wife, and no traces of the many millions that were seized by the feds at the height of his drug trafficking career.<\/p>\n<p>He admits he lives with a degree of remorse. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis family has clearly had its struggles and I think Gary has and will continue to admit he regrets that,\u201d Mark said. \u201cHe really embraces, \u2018This is who he is\u2019 and \u2018This is the way it is.&#8217;\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/31\/the-invisible-pilot-life-of-a-drug-smuggler-turned-cia-op\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Life of a drug smuggler turned CIA op&#8221; In 1977, the town of Hazen, Arkansas, was distraught to hear that Gary Betzner, a local crop duster with three young children had plunged to his death off the steep White River Bridge. A pastor broke the somber news to Polly, Betzner\u2019s oldest daughter from his first&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":424923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/drug-smugler.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[127371,65799,71660,75865,6864,1524,640,70954,91489,127429,78513],"class_list":["post-424922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-3-31-22","tag-documentaries","tag-drug-busts","tag-drug-cartels","tag-drugs","tag-hbo","tag-hbo-max","tag-miami","tag-new-on-hbo","tag-pablo-escobar","tag-war-on-drugs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}