Thirty years after two Cessna C-337 aircraft piloted by members of the Brothers to the Rescue organization were shot down, killing Floridians Armando Alejandre, 45; Carlos Costa and Pablo Morales, 29; and Mario de la Pena, 24, the Florida state prosecutor’s office announced this Monday, Oct. 19, that it had filed murder charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro Ruz, 95.
“We are announcing state charges against Raul Castro, along with an arrest warrant for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said at a press conference. “Raul Castro ordered the cold-blooded murder of four Floridians, and Florida will never stop seeking justice.”
Raul Castro conspired and is responsible
“What happened was not an accident. It was murder. The evidence makes it more than clear that there was a conspiracy,” Attorney Uthmeier added, appearing alongside Jason Reding Quinones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, at a press conference at Florida International University’s (FIU) College of Law. Beside him were Miami-Dade Police Chief Rosie Cordero-Stutz and local Republican politicians.
On Feb. 24, 1996, Cuban Air Force MiG fighter jets attacked three aircraft belonging to Brothers to the Rescue, an organization created to patrol the Florida Straits in civilian planes in order to locate Cuban rafters, provide them with supplies (food, water, and life jackets), and alert the U.S. Coast Guard about those risking their lives at sea while attempting to reach North America.
In the attack, which took place when Raul Castro was Cuba’s defense minister, two aircraft were shot down and a third managed to escape. The aircraft fell into international waters.
Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit determined that the evidence presented by Attorney Uthmeier was sufficient to demonstrate that Raul Castro, Fidel Castro‘s brother, conspired and was responsible for the deaths of the four people. Three decades after the incident, Orshan signed a state arrest warrant without the right to bail against Raul Castro.
Uthmeier issued a warning encompassing a very broad range of possibilities. “Although we are not going to take him to jail today, at least as far as I know — I don’t know, perhaps there will be some surprise — this has real consequences; it is not just a piece of paper,” he told reporters. “Mr. Raul Castro cannot simply leave his country and move around freely. If, for any reason, he ends up in a friendly country with which we have extradition agreements, he will end up here.”
Fidel Castro had taken responsibility for the shootdown
In addition, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones explained that the judicial system allows both the federal government and the states to prosecute violations of their respective laws. “That means two separate judicial proceedings, each on its own,” he said, adding that the federal government “stands with Florida in seeking justice for the four Americans murdered in the shootdown” of the aircraft.
Last May, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida had filed a formal indictment against Raul Castro. The arrest warrant announced this Monday also stems from the federal charges against Raul Castro announced by U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on May 20.
This occurred amid tensions between Washington and Havana, particularly intensified this year by the oil blockade and the dozens of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against Miguel Diaz-Canel’s government.
Although Fidel Castro had taken responsibility for the shootdown of the two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft, in 2026 Cuban journalist Wilfredo Cancio published a recording in which Raul Castro admits that he gave the order to shoot them down. “Well, shoot them down over the sea when they show up. And those who have the authority should not consult anyone,” he said. This is now the main piece of evidence in the investigation.
The passage of time does not diminish the pursuit of justice
“The case development announced today carries a weight that has been felt for years by the victims’ families, the community, and all those who have waited for answers,” said Michael Stein, special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). “The FDLE assuming the lead investigative role in this case reflects one of our state’s core principles in public safety: the passage of time does not diminish the pursuit of justice.”
In turn, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said that Monday’s announcement of a Florida state arrest warrant for Raul Castro “marks a historic step toward accountability” for the four murders.
“For 30 years, their families and our Cuban American community have endured this profound loss and refused to let the pursuit of justice fade. We honor their perseverance and recognize the generations of families who have suffered under the Castro regime,” she added.