Florida issued a no-bond arrest warrant for Raúl Castro in connection with the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue plane shootdown. The warrant ties a new state-level move to the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, Pablo Morales and Carlos Costa in international waters.
The warrant was signed by a Miami-Dade County judge. Florida officials said there is probable cause to believe a conspiracy took place in the state and that Castro gave the orders, turning a 30-year-old case into an active state case again.
Miami-Dade County warrant
Raúl Castro is 95 years old and already facing federal prosecution, so Florida’s action adds another layer to a case that has moved between state and federal authorities. The U.S. Department of Justice announced in May that Castro was being charged with murder at Miami’s Freedom Tower, with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alongside federal officials.
Uthmeier is expected to announce the warrant at Florida International University on Monday morning alongside Governor Ron DeSantis. The state’s no-bond designation means the warrant does not offer release on payment while authorities pursue custody.
Brothers to the Rescue plane shootdown
The 1996 Brothers to the Rescue plane shootdown killed four men on what officials described as a humanitarian mission. Armando Alejandre Jr. was one of the four men killed while out patrolling on that mission, alongside Mario de la Peña, Pablo Morales and Carlos Costa.
The warrant said the planes were targeted while the aircraft were flying in international waters, and that state authorities would seek full extradition of Castro if he is arrested outside Florida. That creates a practical next step for readers watching the case: any arrest outside Florida could move the fight over custody into extradition proceedings rather than ending the matter at the state line.
Florida and federal prosecution
The complication for Castro is that Florida is acting while federal prosecution is already underway. In May, Todd Blanche said, “The United States and President Trump does not, and will not, forget its citizens,” as the U.S. Department of Justice announced the charging of Castro. A family member responded, “Justice has happened. Not total, but it is some justice,” and another said, “My father stood for a free Cuba. That was his most important thing. That’s all he cared about.”
The state filing does not resolve the case; it expands it. The next practical issue is whether Florida can get custody if Castro is found outside the state, and the warrant points directly to full extradition as the route authorities intend to use.
