Barry Seal (16 June 1939-19 February 1986), also known as Ellis McPickle, was an American pilot who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before smuggling drugs from Colombia into America for the Medellin Cartel.
Biography[]
Seal being accosted by the two DEA agents
Barry Seal was born on 16 June 1939 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he began flying at the age of fifteen. In 1955, he joined the Civil Air Patrol after receiving his airman certificate, and he flew for Trans-World Airways until 1974, when he was fired. Seal decided to work for the Medellin Cartel as a drug smuggler, transporting numerous shipments to the United States and making $500,000 each flight. Seal had a history with the Central Intelligence Agency, supposedly doing some work for them. However, his lifestyle of drugs and sex led to him working for criminals to make some money, and he used the nickname "Ellis McPickle" to collect payments from the cartel.
Downfall[]
Seal's death
In 1984, a CIA agent in Colombia recognized his picture when DEA agent Steve Murphy asked about "Ellis McPickle", giving Murphy his name. Seal was accosted by Murpy and Javier Pena as he left his favorite brothel, and he was sentenced to ten years in prison in a Florida court. He decided to approach the DEA and act as an informant, and he helped the CIA with a sting operation in Nicaragua. However, Seal's life was endangered when Colonel Oliver North used photos provided by Seal that showed a link between the communist Sandinistas in Nicaragua with the narcotics trade, as Seal had taken pictures showing Federico Vaughan and Pablo Escobar loading cocaine onto an airplane. Seal's cover was blown, and he unwisely chose not to have government protection. On 19 February 1986, he was shot dead by Medellin Cartel hitmen on a motorcycle in a Baton Rouge parking lot, meeting his end.