The Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution announced on Monday that a state arrest warrant has been issued for former Cuban President Raúl Castro. The warrant alleges a single count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder linked to the February 24, 1996 shootdown of two unarmed Cessna planes operated by the Miami-based humanitarian group Brothers to Rescue. If ever taken into custody, a Miami-Dade County judge ordered that Castro be held without bond.
The investigation, revived in 2025 by Attorney General James Uthmeier, was a joint effort between the Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). According to the affidavit that supports the warrant, Castro was serving as Cuba’s minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and first vice president at the time of the attack. Prosecutors claim he issued direct orders to senior military commanders to intercept and destroy the civilian aircraft, bypassing any additional authorization.
How the 1996 tragedy unfolded
On the morning of February 24, 1996, three Cessna 182 aircraft lifted off from Opa-Locka Airport in Miami-Dade County. Two of those planes, carrying Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr., crossed the 24th parallel heading southward—well beyond Cuban territorial waters. Cuban MiG-22 fighters, acting under what Havana called Operación Escorpión (Operation Scorpion), fired air-to-air missiles that brought both planes down. Neither aircraft received a warning, and both were traveling away from Cuba when they were hit.
Florida investigators allege that the operation was enabled by Cuban intelligence operatives embedded in the United States. Agents linked to the Wasp Network—a clandestine Cuban Directorate of Intelligence (DI) cell—had infiltrated Brothers to Rescue in both Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Those spies allegedly gathered flight plans and relayed them to Havana, providing the tactical information necessary for the Cuban military strike.
Legal and political backdrop
The state charge follows a federal indictment announced earlier this year, also accusing Castro of the same shootdown. U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones praised the coordination, stating, “Our historic federal indictment laid the groundwork, and James and his team have now taken the important step of bringing charges under Florida law.” The warrant was signed by Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, who ordered that no bond be set should the former leader ever be arrested.
FDLE Special Agent in Charge Michael Stein emphasized that time does not erode the commitment to justice: “FDLE assuming the lead investigative role on this case reflects one of our state’s core approaches to public safety: that the passage of time does not diminish the pursuit of justice.” Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz echoed the sentiment, recognizing the decades-long perseverance of victims’ families and the Cuban-American community.
Despite the warrant, Castro remains abroad and has not been taken into U.S. custody. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has dismissed the charges as politically motivated. Florida officials, however, maintain that the investigation is ongoing and that additional charges could be filed if further evidence emerges.
