painful number of characteristics of a narco-state". Minister Grapperhaus of Justice and Security stated in a response that the Netherlands is not a narco-state. After the murder of lawyer Derk Wiersum and crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, the qualification of the Netherlands as a narco-state received new attention. Nicaragua After the Nicaraguan Revolution, Sandinista National Liberation Front, led by Daniel Ortega, took the national government of Nicaragua from the Somoza dynasty. In 1980s the Sandinista government was accused of helping Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel by giving him access to a drug trafficking corridor that runs in Nicaragua as well. According to the United States diplomatic cables leak, Ortega was said to receive drug money in order to influence the 2008 local elections in the country. Another cable also stated that Nicaraguan officials returned from Venezuela with a briefcase full of cash, indicating potential government involvement with drug cartels. Panama The dictatorship of Manuel Noriega owned a state sponsored drug trade network which gave Panama a reputation of being a narco-state at the time. Noriega was well known to be involved in illegal drugs and arms trade which was dubbed as his "cash cow". Between 1981 until 1987, the Noriega regime had a cordial relationship with the United States due to mutual interest in which Noriega government helped arming the Contras in Nicaragua in which the US ignored Noriega illegal activities in exchange. Noriega involvement in drug trafficking grows rapidly in 1980s which reached its peak in 1984. The conflict in Colombia and Central American countries gave Noriega opportunity to transport cocaine to United States. Noriega regime also made an alliance with the Medellin Cartel. However, in 1984, Noriega began to reduce his drug operation by targeting Jorge Ochoa and Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela money laundering operations in order to clean his reputations which gave him positive image among American government elites. In the late 80s the United States relations with Noriega regime deteriorated after Noriega was accused for selling intelligences to Cuba. It was also reported that Hugo Spadafora, Noriega most prominent critic who was assassinated by his regime reported Noriega drug operations to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The United States would later invade Panama and captured Noriega, ending his regime. Noriega was later trialed in three countries; France, United States, and Panama and eventually died in 2017. Suriname Suriname has been labeled as a narco-state due to President Dési