On January 3, 1990, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was captured by US forces following Operation Just Cause, the American military operation launched to remove him from power.
After days on the run, Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican embassy in Panama City, where US troops applied sustained psychological pressure until he surrendered. He was immediately flown to the United States to face federal charges.
Noriega was later tried in Miami on drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering charges, convicted in 1992, and sentenced to decades in prison. At the time of his capture and transfer to the US, the American president was George H. W. Bush, whose administration framed the operation as necessary to protect US personnel, uphold international security, and bring a criminal regime leader to justice.
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