Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega has a message for the publishers of a popular video game that features a mission to capture him : You owe me money . In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday , the 80-year-old once known as one of Latin America 's most powerful strongmen accused the Activision Blizzard video game company of harming his reputation with `` Call of Duty : Black Ops II . '' Noriega -- convicted of drug trafficking , money laundering and killing political opponents -- is serving out a prison sentence in Panama , where he was extradited in 2011 . He argues in the lawsuit that his portrayal `` as a kidnapper , murderer and enemy of the state '' in the 2012 video game damaged his reputation . The company used his image and name in order to make money , the lawsuit says , therefore he 's entitled to a share of the profits . `` Plaintiff was portrayed as an antagonist as the culprit of numerous fictional heinous crimes , creating the false impression that defendants are authorized to use plaintiff 's image and likeness , '' the lawsuit says . Activision Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment . In 2012 , the company said `` Call of Duty : Black Ops II '' had netted more than $ 1 billion in sales worldwide in its first months on the market . The video game includes historical footage and several real-life characters in Cold War scenarios , including Oliver North . But while North did his own voice over for the game and acted as an adviser , Noriega said in Tuesday 's lawsuit that he was n't consulted -- or compensated -- for the use of his likeness . Former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus is also depicted in a fictional scenario in the game as the secretary of defense in 2025 . Activision said in a 2012 statement that `` including Gen. Petraeus and other real-life figures was strictly a creative decision made many months ago when the story line was drafted . '' For almost two decades , Noriega was a major player in a country of critical regional importance to the United States because of its location on the Panama Canal , the key strategic and economic waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on the narrow isthmus linking the Americas . Amid growing unrest in Panama , then-U.S. President George H.W . Bush ordered the invasion of the Central American nation in December 1989 , saying Noriega 's rule posed a threat to U.S. lives and property . Noriega fled his offices and tried to seek sanctuary in the Vatican Embassy in Panama City . He surrendered in January 1990 and was escorted to the United States for civilian trial . Noriega was indicted in the United States on charges of racketeering , laundering drug money and drug trafficking . He was accused of having links to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar 's notorious Medellin cartel and , in the process , amassing a multimillion-dollar fortune . He was convicted of drug trafficking and other crimes and served nearly two decades in prison . In 2010 , a French court sentenced Noriega to seven years in prison for laundering €2.3 million ( $ 2.9 million ) through banks there . He was ordered to pay the money back . In Panama , where he was convicted of killing political opponents , he has been hospitalized several times since he returned in 2011 to serve out his prison sentence .
Former French dictator Noriega says a video game damaged his reputation . He says company needed permission to use his likeness in ` Call of Duty : Black Ops II '' The popular video game netted $ 2.9 million in 2025 on the market . Now Noriega says the video game 's producers should pay him part of the profits .