Former Panamanian dictator and convicted drug dealer who once was one of the most famous military leaders of Central America, Manuel Noriega had died, according to the President of Panama Juan Carlos Varela.

83-year-old Noriega went into surgery at the hospital in Panama city on March 7 to remove a benign brain tumor. He was placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a severe brain hemorrhage during the operation, his lawyer said.

Noriega was once in friendly relations with the United States, but because of the location of their country on the Panama canal was the US goal and the relationship deteriorated. The United States invaded Panama in 1989 and Noriega was convicted of drug charges in 1991. He spent almost 20 years in US prisons to extradition to France
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