MIAMI, United States. – Ana Belén Montes, the main Cuban analyst for the United States Defense Intelligence Agency, convicted of espionage in favor of the island’s regime, will be released at the beginning of 2023 after spending 20 years in a federal prison in Texas, CBS reported.
In the 1990s, Montes was the top Cuban analyst for the US Defense Intelligence Agency. At the same time, she was undermining her country’s operations in Central America.
She was accused of burning some 450 US agents and leaking US military information, which her accusers say led to the death in El Salvador of Green Beret Sergeant Gregory A. Fronio.
According to former spy catcher Chris Simmons, Montes was also part of the Wasp Networkthe largest foreign spy group to operate in the United States.
Members of that group were accused of helping the Havana regime shoot down two US-registered humanitarian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996. The attack killed four pilots and volunteers.
After the downing of the two planes, Montes was part of the team that was evaluating a response from the United States and at the same time passing information to Cuban agents. For that reason, the regime knew about every move the United States was contemplating.
The former agent was arrested just before the Iraq war because she was involved in the theft of American secrets by Cuba.
Simmons called Montes “ruthless” and wished she had been in jail “longer.”
However, Montes will be released from federal custody on January 8, 2023.
According to CBS News, the arrest of Montes and the downing of the two aircraft hurt Cuban spy efforts but did not put them out of the game.
Law enforcement, academic sources, and Simmons agree that the Cuban intelligence network remains as vigorous as ever.
These sources say that up to 300 Cuban agents are active in the United States. Two-thirds of them would be in the Miami area.
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