✨🎆🔐🌠 ₵Ɏ฿ɆⱤ ₵Ɏ₱ⱧɆⱤ ✨🎆🔐🌠 (@lucrum-sanguinem)

Panamanian dictator #ManuelNoriega surrendered to U.S. forces on January 3, 1990, after seeking refuge for 10 days in the Vatican’s embassy (Papal Nunciature) in Panama City.  This event marked the end of #OperationJustCause, the U.S. invasion of Panama that began on December 20, 1989, under President George H.W. #Bush, aimed at deposing Noriega and bringing him to face U.S. charges of #drugtrafficking, #moneylaundering, and #racketeering.  To pressure Noriega into surrendering, U.S. psychological operations teams blasted loud rock music—including tracks like Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” and Van Halen’s “Panama”—at the embassy nonstop, contributing to his decision to give up. He was immediately flown to Miami, where he stood trial, was convicted in 1992, and initially sentenced to 40 years in prison (later reduced).  After serving time in the U.S., Noriega was extradited to France in 2010 for money laundering charges, and finally to Panama in 2011 to face additional sentences for murder, corruption, and human rights abuses during his rule. He died in Panama in 2017 while under house arrest for medical reasons. The invasion itself involved around 25,000 U.S. troops, resulting in 23 American deaths, hundreds wounded, and estimates of 200–4,000 Panamanian civilian casualties, drawing international criticism despite achieving its primary objective. [Source: X22 REPORT]