{"id":792,"date":"2026-05-21T06:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T06:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=792"},"modified":"2026-05-21T06:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T06:34:08","slug":"the-latest-us-indicts-former-cuban-president-raul-castro-over-1996-downing-of-planes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=792","title":{"rendered":"The Latest: US indicts former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro over 1996 downing of planes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro with ordering the 1996 shootdown of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles, a major escalation of pressure by the Trump administration on the socialist government. President Donald Trump has set a calamitous energy blockade on the island and has been threatening military action ever since U.S. forces captured the Cuban government\u2019s longtime patron, Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n

Read more Officers who defended Capitol from rioters sue to block payouts from $1.8B \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund<\/a><\/p>\n

Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters sued Wednesday to block anyone \u2014 including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters \u2014 from receiving payouts from a new nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions. The lawsuit\u2019s filing comes a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, during his congressional testimony, wouldn\u2019t rule out the possibility of fund payouts for rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6.<\/p>\n

Also, Trumpscored another win Tuesday against a Republican rival, dislodging Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky\u2019s primary and knocking out one of his most outspoken critics on Capitol Hill. Massie has been a particularly difficult thorn in Trump\u2019s side, pushing for the release of the Epstein files, opposing the war with Iran and voting against Trump\u2019s signature tax legislation last year.<\/p>\n

The U.S. government will permanently drop tax claims against Trump, according to a settlement document made public Tuesday, in an extraordinary use of executive power that could effectively help shield the president from further examination of his finances and legal conduct. As part of the settlement deal, the U.S. is \u201cforever barred and precluded\u201d from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump organization\u2019s current tax examinations.<\/p>\n

Here’s the latest:<\/p>\n

Cubans wonder what comes next after Castro\u2019s indictment<\/p>\n

Many spoke strongly against any U.S. intervention in Cuba.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we need to find someone to prosecute for Cuba to change,\u201d said Debrezei Barreras, a 43-year-old housewife.<\/p>\n

\u201cA military intervention could harm Cubans,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat I do think is advisable is for both countries to reach an agreement so that Cuba can emerge from this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodny Amaguer, a 38-year-old architect, agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no need for anyone from outside to come and fix problems that Cubans themselves, along with their government, should be able to solve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Amaguer recalled he was a child when the planes the indictment accuses Castro of targeting were shot down. He said the pilots violated Cuban airspace.<\/p>\n

Rolando Mesa, a 61-year-old state employee, concurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it were the other way around, if Cuba had sent those planes to the United States, and we arrived in Miami, what would they do? They\u2019d shoot us down like doves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Republicans mull dropping $1 billion security money request for the White House and Trump\u2019s ballroom<\/p>\n

Republican senators are considering dropping a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and President Donald Trump\u2019s ballroom after it has failed to win enough party support on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

The White House has pressured Republicans to add the money to a roughly $70 billion bill intended to restore funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol.<\/p>\n

But some Republicans are questioning the security price tag and asking for more details about how the money would be used.<\/p>\n

Sen. John Kennedy said Wednesday that the bill was \u201cback to square one\u201d without the security money because \u201cthe votes are not there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Thom Tillis said the effort to add the security package to the bill was a \u201cbad idea\u201d and he does not think there is enough backing to pass it, even if it were reduced.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/p>\n

Trump says he will speak with Taiwan\u2019s leader over arms sales<\/p>\n

President Trump today suggested he may speak with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te about an arms sales package opposed by Beijing, the second time in a week he raised the possibility of speaking with the island\u2019s leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019ll speak to him. I speak to everybody,\u201d Trump said when asked if he had plans to call Lai.<\/p>\n

On Friday, when returning from his summit in Beijing, Trump said: \u201cI have to speak to the person that right now, as you know, you know who he is, that\u2019s running Taiwan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beijing, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, opposes any official interaction between U.S. and Taiwanese officials, and no sitting U.S. president has spoken with a Taiwanese leader since the two governments severed diplomatic ties in 1979.<\/p>\n

Trump, as president-elect in 2016, took a congratulatory phone call from the Taiwanese president.<\/p>\n

Trump calls the indictment of Ra\u00fal Castro \u2018a very big moment\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is a very big day, very important day,\u201d Trump told reporters on the tarmac, after flying back from Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Asked what will happen next for Cuba, he said \u201cWe\u2019re gonna see\u201d and that the U.S. is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to a \u201cfailing nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump also said the CIA has a presence in Cuba, and Rubio has been involved in discussions with the island\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

But Trump added of applying more economic pressure to Cuba, \u201cThere won\u2019t be escalation. I don\u2019t think there needs to be.<\/p>\n

Trump says he may release his tax returns<\/p>\n

Trump has long cited ongoing IRS audits as his reason for not releasing his past tax returns. But that could change now that his legal team has forged a deal with the Justice Department this week that includes permanently dropping tax claims against the president, his family and associates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI may even release my current returns,\u201d the president told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after a trip to Connecticut.<\/p>\n

As part of the settlement deal meant to resolve Trump\u2019s $10 billion l awsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns, the U.S. is \u201cforever barred and precluded\u201d from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump organization\u2019s current tax examinations, according to a one-page document posted to the Justice Department\u2019s website on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The settlement also includes the creation of a $1.776 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted.<\/p>\n

Blanche says he expects Castro to appear in US on charges<\/p>\n

Asked to what lengths the U.S. would go to bring Castro to face charges in this country, Blanche said the federal government indicts people outside the United States \u201call the time\u201d and uses a variety of methods to bring them to justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a warrant issued for his arrest,\u201d Blanche said of Ra\u00fal Castro. \u201cSo we expect that he will show up here, by his own will or by another way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blanche went on to say investigations like this one are \u201cnever over\u201d when asked whether additional charges would be brought.<\/p>\n

Castro should take the indictment as a real threat, observers said<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because former Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro was indicted on drug-related charges before he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized by U.S. special forces in the Venezuelan capital in January<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gonna have to keep his head pretty low from now on,\u201d said Peter Kornbluh, a senior analyst and specialist on the U.S.-Cuba relationship at the National Security Archive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re going to have no choice but to take this threat extremely seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top Communist Party leader praises Ra\u00fal Castro, says Cubans will defend his legacy \u2018at any cost\u2019<\/p>\n

Roberto Morales Ojeda, a senior Communist Party leader, praised Army Gen. Ra\u00fal Castro on Wednesday, saying he \u201cembodies the most genuine essence of the Cuban Revolution thanks to his ability to lead with modesty and personal example. His career has been an uninterrupted lesson in loyalty to Cuba and Fidel.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also said Ra\u00fal Castro has cultivated \u201can exceptional human sensitivity\u201d and the ability to examine the \u201crevolutionary endeavor,\u201d rectify errors and open spaces for dialogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all these reasons, the Cuban people are absolutely certain that they will defend Ra\u00fal\u2019s physical and ethical integrity and his legacy at any cost,\u201d Morales Ojeda wrote on X. \u201cDefending his legacy means embracing the continuity of the Revolution, updating the economic model without losing its socialist essence, training new generations, and the fundamental lesson: that one can be a revolutionary with firmness, constructive criticism, and unwavering loyalty to the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Miami, one Cuban American expresses approval of Castro\u2019s indictment<\/p>\n

Peter Hernandez, whose family owns Los Pinare\u00f1os Fruteria in Miami\u2019s Little Havana neighborhood, said it\u2019s about time for the U.S. to do something about Castro.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe piracy in that country, Cuba, it has been going on for a very long time,\u201d Hernandez said.<\/p>\n

Hernandez, whose parents moved from Cuba to South Florida before he was born, said he doesn\u2019t have a problem with the U.S. sending its military to arrest Castro.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a criminal,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201dI think we should do that with all criminals, especially if they\u2019re hiding behind a country that consistently has been proven that they are on the wrong side of our national security efforts and ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuban president condemns Castro indictment<\/p>\n

Cuban President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel condemned the indictment of Ra\u00fal Castro and accused the U.S. of lying and manipulating the events of 1996. He called it \u201ca political action without any legal basis\u201d that only seeks to \u201cbolster the case they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.\u201d<\/p>\n

D\u00edaz-Canel wrote on X that Cuba acted in \u201clegitimate self-defense within its territorial waters after repeated and dangerous violations of its airspace by notorious terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said U.S. officials at the time had been warned about the violations but allowed them to continue.<\/p>\n

Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba ever since U.S. forces captured the Cuban government\u2019s longtime patron, Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. After ousting Maduro, the White House ordered a blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba, leading to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse across the island.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/p>\n

The US has also accused Cuban military pilots of downing the planes<\/p>\n

Lt. Col. Lorenzo Alberto P\u00e9rez-P\u00e9rez of Las Tunas is among the Cuban military pilots accused of downing the civilian planes in 1996.<\/p>\n

The others include Jos\u00e9 Fidel Gual Barzaga and Lt. Col. Luis Ra\u00fal Gonz\u00e1lez-Pardo Rodr\u00edguez, whom the U.S. indicted in November 2025 on charges including fraud and misuse of visa and permits.<\/p>\n

At the time, former U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said: \u201cThis man\u2019s past as a longtime military pilot for the evil Castro regime \u2014 which has wrought untold suffering on the Cuban people \u2014 should have been front and center in his immigration file.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonz\u00e1lez-Pardo Rodr\u00edguez was accused in part of falsely claiming he had never received any weapons or military training on an application to register for permanent residence or adjust status.<\/p>\n

The others accused are Emilio Jos\u00e9 Palacio Blanco and Raul Simance C\u00e1rdenas.<\/p>\n

The penalties in the indictment against Castro<\/p>\n

The murder and conspiracy charges Castro is facing carry a maximum sentence of the death penalty or life in prison upon conviction. However, it is unclear whether Castro will ever step foot in a U.S. courtroom.<\/p>\n

Castro is charged alongside five other defendants. One of them, Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez, is in U.S. custody awaiting sentencing later this month in a case alleging he made false statements in an immigration document, according to the Justice Department.<\/p>\n

Sen. Moody applauds Trump administration\u2019s \u2018accountability\u2019 in Castro charges<\/p>\n

Speaking at Wednesday\u2019s event, Sen. Ashley Moody decried what she described as previous administrations\u2019 relaxed attitudes toward Cuba, including moves to \u201crelax our banking restrictions\u201d or \u201ccoddle them into freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

But with actions like the Castro indictment, the Florida Republican said the Trump administration is taking \u201cthe bold step of actually bringing accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump tells Coast Guard graduates they will \u2018be tested\u2019 in their military careers<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has returned to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy to give the commencement address at the Connecticut school.<\/p>\n

He told cadets on Wednesday that they show \u201cunbelievable heroism and exceptional selflessness\u201d but will \u201cbe tested further\u201d as they embark on their military careers.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s remarks to the class of 2026 were the first time he has given a commencement speech at one of the nation\u2019s military academies after sending U.S. troops to fight the war with Iran. Trump also spoke at the academy\u2019s graduation in 2017 during his first term.<\/p>\n

During his address, Trump quickly touched on the war with Iran, now in its 12th week, as a sign of U.S. success from \u201cthe hottest country anywhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only question is, do we go ahead and finish it up or are they going to be signing a document? Let\u2019s see what happens,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Read more Republicans mull dropping $1 billion security money request for the White House and Trump\u2019s ballroom<\/a><\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/p>\n

Trump referenced \u2018shores of Havana\u2019 in remarks earlier Wednesday<\/p>\n

He did not directly address Ra\u00fal Castro or any potential indictment, but Trump mentioned Cuba earlier Wednesday in a commencement address.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the Gulf of America to the frozen waters of the Arctic, from the shores of Havana to the banks of the Panama Canal, we will drive out the forces of lawlessness and crime and foreign encroachment, just like we\u2019ve been doing,\u201d Trump said to graduates at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Charges against Castro include murder<\/p>\n

The indictment charges Castro with murder, conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and destruction of aircraft.<\/p>\n

A grand jury in Miami returned the indictment late last month, and it was unsealed on Wednesday, acting Attorney General Blanche said.<\/p>\n

Blanche explains why Ra\u00fal Castro charges announced in Florida and not Washington<\/p>\n

Many major Department of Justice cases are announced in Washington, but Blanche said Wednesday that it was important to discuss the Castro case in Florida instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community here, you all, understands the history of the Cuban regime better than anyone in America,\u201d Blanche said. \u201cMany families here know the cost of oppression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crowd applauds as Ra\u00fal Castro indictment announced<\/p>\n

Attendees rose to their feet, pulled out cell phones and broke into loud shouts as acting Blanche announced the charges against Castro.<\/p>\n

The acting U.S. attorney general and other top Justice Department officials were in Miami on Wednesday for a ceremony to honor those killed in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes.<\/p>\n

US indicts former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro over downing of planes in 1996<\/p>\n

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro with ordering the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles, a major escalation in the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to dismantle seven decades of single-party rule in the Caribbean island.<\/p>\n

Castro, now 94, was Cuba\u2019s defense minister when the planes operated by a Miami-based exile group were shot down, killing four people.<\/p>\n

U.S. President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up talk of regime change in Cuba after pledging earlier this year to conduct a \u201cfriendly takeover\u201d of the country if its leadership did not open up its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.<\/p>\n

Cuban president dismisses Rubio remarks, blames hardships on US sanctions, energy blockade<\/p>\n

Cuban President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel pushed back on Wednesday following claims by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the suffering of the Cuban people is the fault of the socialist government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey lie again and again without any shame, with alarming audacity, without presenting a single shred of evidence to support their claims,\u201d he wrote on the social platform X. \u201cThe blame lies with those who order the closure of all access to material and financial resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that the U.S. executive order penalizing any country that supplies Cuba with fuel remains in effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly the most twisted minds could deny before the world this collective punishment being inflicted upon an entire people, which is already becoming an act of genocide,\u201d D\u00edaz-Canel wrote.<\/p>\n

Progressive youth group launches digital campaign highlighting absent congressman<\/p>\n

Voters of Tomorrow, a group focused on mobilizing young voters, launched a website highlighting Rep. Tom Kean Jr.\u2019s absence from Congress.<\/p>\n

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday said he expects the New Jersey Republican to return \u201csoon\u201d after dealing with a \u201cpersonal medical issue.\u201d Kean has been missing from Capitol Hill since early March. His family and staff say that he is battling an undisclosed illness.<\/p>\n

Santiago Mayer, Voters of Tomorrow\u2019s executive director, said that Kean had \u201cghosted\u201d Congress, adding that the issue of congressional absences was especially salient to young voters.<\/p>\n

The digital ads depict doctored \u201cMissing\u201d posters with an image of Kean and the text \u201cHave U Seen This Man?\u201d The campaign\u2019s accompanying website includes a voter registration pledge.<\/p>\n

Kean\u2019s absence from House votes comes as Republicans face a razor-thin majority, complicating the party\u2019s legislative agenda. Democrats have faced their own challenges in maintaining stable margins, as some members have died while in office.<\/p>\n

Trump gives the Coast Guard commencement address in relentless heat<\/p>\n

The president called graduates of the Coast Guard Academy \u201cthe living standard bearers of America\u2019s first fleet\u201d and suggested danger is \u201ca statement you live by.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump said graduating together would build lifelong camaraderie , saying \u201cYou\u2019re always going to be friends with each other. Hopefully with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he spoke, many in the crowd faced scorching heat with little shade available against the 85-deegre heat and a UV index of 9.<\/p>\n

At least one person required medical attention after passing out. Others pleaded with organizers that elderly attendants be allowed to sit under tents.<\/p>\n

Chilled water bottles were distributed, but quickly became warm.<\/p>\n

Officers\u2019 lawsuit claims government\u2019s \u2018Anti-Weaponization Fund\u2019 is an illegal slush fund<\/p>\n

And the lawsuit says President Trump will use it to \u201cfinance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.\u201d<\/p>\n

It describes the fund\u2019s creation as \u201cthe most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the attorneys for the officers is Brendan Ballou, a former Justice Department prosecutor who handled Jan. 6 cases.<\/p>\n

Officers who defended Capitol from rioters sue to block payouts from $1.8B \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund<\/p>\n

Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of Trump supporters sued Wednesday to block anyone \u2014 including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters \u2014 from receiving payouts from a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions.<\/p>\n

The officers\u2019 attorneys filed the federal lawsuit a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the fund\u2019s creation during a congressional hearing. Blanche, a personal attorney for Trump before joining the Justice Department, wouldn\u2019t rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6 would be eligible for fund payouts.<\/p>\n

More than 100 police officers were injured during the Capitol riot. Over 1,600 people were charged with Jan. 6-related crimes, but Trump used his pardon powers to erase all of those cases in a sweeping act of clemency last year.<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs suing Trump over the fund are Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who\u2019s running in Maryland for a seat in Congress.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/p>\n

House Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump\u2019s endorsement is \u2018most powerful\u2019<\/p>\n

The Republican leader said he spoke with the president late after Tuesday\u2019s primary elections and the defeat of Rep. Thomas Massie, a once popular GOP lawmaker.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about how his endorsement is the most powerful in the history of politics,\u201d Johnson of Louisiana said at the Capitol.<\/p>\n

The speaker insisted there\u2019s room in the Republican Party for those who cross Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t demand loyalty to the president,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never ask anybody to violate a core principle,\u201d he said, but \u201cyou have to give up on some of your personal preferences sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodr\u00edguez blasts US Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/p>\n

He called Rubio \u201cthe mouthpiece of corrupt and vindictive interests, concentrated in South Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez wrote on X that Cuba hasn\u2019t rejected $100 million in humanitarian aid the U.S. has offered, adding that the \u201ccynicism is evident to anyone given the devastating effects of the economic blockade and the energy embargo.\u201d<\/p>\n

In late January, President Trump threatened tariffs on countries that supply or sell oil to Cuba, which recently announced that its oil reserves have run dry.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez also criticized Rubio for releasing a video message Wednesday in which he calls on Cubans to reject their government and demand new leadership and a free-market economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe takes advantage of the infamous date of May 20th,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez wrote. The date marks Cuba\u2019s independence, but the socialist government rejects that date, saying true freedom began with the 1959 Revolution.<\/p>\n

Days after Trump visit, Putin and Xi hail their friendship and growing energy trade at meeting<\/p>\n

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed their strategic ties and growing energy trade as they met in Beijing on Wednesday only days after a visit by President Trump to China.<\/p>\n

Putin and Xi oversaw the signing of more than 40 cooperation agreements in areas such as trade, technology and media exchanges. They stressed their growing trade, particularly in oil and natural gas, and declared themselves aligned on international relations.<\/p>\n

The countries\u2019 ties have reached \u201cthe highest level in history,\u201d Xi said after the signing ceremony, speaking to members of the delegations and journalists. The two sides also agreed to extend a friendship treaty first signed in 2001.<\/p>\n

Putin told those in the room that \u201cthe driving force behind economic cooperation is Russian-Chinese collaboration in the energy sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/p>\n

US sanctions hit alleged Sinaloa cartel fentanyl network, including a Chihuahua restaurant<\/p>\n

The U.S. imposed sanctions Wednesday on more than a dozen people, a Mexican restaurant and a security firm linked to Mexico\u2019s powerful Sinaloa cartel and its fentanyl trafficking activities.<\/p>\n

The Treasury Department\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas, a fugitive known as Chuy Gonzalez, who\u2019s alleged to be involved in trafficking narcotics into the U.S. and laundering funds for the cartel. The State Department has been offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest since 2024.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles, who allegedly helps launder the proceeds of fentanyl and other drugs on behalf of the cartel, has also been hit with sanctions.<\/p>\n

A restaurant in Chihuahua, called Gorditas Chiwas \u2014 controlled by sanctioned businessman Alfredo Orozco Romero \u2014 was hit with sanctions.<\/p>\n

The sanctions cut them off from the U.S. banking system, cut off their ability to work with Americans and block their U.S. assets.<\/p>\n

Trump has repeatedly offered to send the U.S. military after the cartels and his administration designated the Sinaloa cartel as a terrorist group in 2025.<\/p>\n

Read more Dolphins rookies hit the field with Special Olympians at flag football camp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro with ordering the 1996 shootdown of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles, a major escalation of pressure by the Trump administration on the socialist government. President Donald Trump has set a calamitous energy blockade on the island and has been threatening military action ever since U.S. forces captured the Cuban government\u2019s longtime patron, Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Latest: US indicts former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro over 1996 downing of planes - South Florida Moving Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=792\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Latest: US indicts former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro over 1996 downing of planes - South Florida Moving Guides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro with ordering the 1996 shootdown of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles, a major escalation of pressure by the Trump administration on the socialist government. 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