Antonio del Conde, better known as “El Cuate”, died at the age of 97, family and friends reported.
His death occurred on March 28 in the municipality of Tecate, in the state of Baja California, Mexico. However, for unknown reasons the information was not made public until yesterday Friday.
He established a close friendship with Fidel Castro since he entered his store in search of weapons to start the revolution in Cuba, along with Raúl Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara.
Since then, the Cubans called him “El Cuate”. He gave his contacts in New York to buy weapons at lower prices.
Del Conde was also the owner of the yacht Granmawith which Fidel Castro undertook the journey from Tuxpan to the south of the Island to start the revolution against Fulgencio Batista in the Sierra Maestra.
“It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Antonio del Conde ‘El Cuate’. His support was vital for the yacht Granma furrow the history of Cuba. We will always remember him, especially for his loyalty and friendship with Fidel. Our condolences to family and friends,” Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said in a message on social networks. The Cuban ambassador in Mexico, Mario Rodríguez Costa, also mourned his death.
