Cuban authorities have arrested nearly three dozen individuals suspected of being involved in a criminal organization based in Florida.
Cuban officials announced on Monday that they had thwarted an alleged terror plot involving weapons smuggled from the United States. Victor Alvarez Valle, the lead criminal investigator for Cuba’s Interior Ministry, stated that the plot was discovered in December when authorities apprehended a man who had entered the country illegally from Florida, carrying guns, ammunition, and military equipment. The man, identified as 40-year-old Ardenys Garcia, a Cuban residing in Florida who had emigrated to the US in 2014, was suspected of planning to carry out violent acts in Cuba.
Alvarez explained that a seven-month investigation following Garcia’s detention revealed a large-scale terror scheme allegedly planned, organized, funded, and supported by a group of Cuban terrorists based in the US known as La Nueva Nacion Cubana. Garcia allegedly acted on orders from the group, which was plotting attacks against civilians in Cuba. His tasks included smuggling weapons to the island, organizing an armed movement within the country, and carrying out terrorist acts aimed at destabilizing the Cuban government. A total of 32 Cuban residents were allegedly involved in the scheme, with Garcia considered the primary suspect.
Garcia is accused of “illegal entry into the national territory and acts against the security of the state,” according to Alvarez. Authorities are also considering charging him with espionage. He faces a potential prison sentence of up to 30 years. While other suspects have been detained, they have not yet been officially charged, and the investigation into their involvement is ongoing.
Alvarez stated that US authorities were informed of the investigation but declined to cooperate and have not taken action against the alleged terror group operating within their borders. He expressed concern that “these individuals continue to act with impunity in North American territory, organizing, financing and supporting activities of a violent nature in order to subvert the internal order of our country.”
In response to Reuters on Monday, a US State Department official acknowledged awareness of the investigation but stated that American law enforcement “prosecutes individuals based on US law and does not take direction from foreign governments.”