General Noriega on money-laundering allegations
The Reagan and Bush administrations used all the means at its disposal to discredit me and the military. The drug charges were one method. I saw this indictment as part of U.S. pressure tactics and never took it seriously.
I first refused to even consider legal counsel in the case and then finally allowed my subordinates to choose lawyers — Raymond Takiff, Frank Rubino, Neal Sonnett and Jack Fernandez — through contacts with Americans in the Canal Zone.