MIAMI, United States. – Cuban Mirtza Ocaña pleaded guilty this Thursday after being accused of trying to bring more than $100,000 in cash into the United States illegally, according to a statement reported the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The incident occurred on February 5 when Ocaña was arrested while trying to bring a significant amount of undeclared money onto a flight from Cuba. According to court records, Ocaña had returned to the United States on a flight from Cuba and, upon being questioned by U.S. agents, was arrested for allegedly carrying a large amount of undeclared money onto a flight from Cuba. Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) said it had no cash to report.
However, during an inspection of her luggage, agents found more than $31,000 in cash hidden there. When questioned, Ocana confessed to having been involved in smuggling money from Cuba to USA on a regular basis. According to his confession, he made these trips two to three times a month since June 2023, earning between $1,000 and $2,500 for each trip.
Further investigation revealed an additional $71,300 hidden among Ocaña’s clothing, bringing the total amount of money found to approximately $102,700.
The Justice Department said Ocaña faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
U.S. entry and exit records indicate that since May 29, 2023, Ocaña has made 45 trips to Cuba.
A source linked to the Department of Justice, who preferred not to be identified, mentioned Strong Coffeelast March, that collaboration between authorities in cases of human trafficking, immigration fraud and money smuggling is common, although it did not specify any collaboration in this case.
The source considered it “very likely” that Cuban and U.S. officials are cooperating in the Ocaña case and did not rule out that the investigation includes the company Ocana & Paradise LLC, registered by the Cuban company in Florida in September 2023.
“What seems less credible is that the accused had direct contact with such a high-ranking official as a minister to transport money,” the source said. He added: “It is more likely that she had contact with intermediaries for these operations, and that will be the focus of the investigation.”
However, a source close to the ousted Cuban Economy Minister Alejandro Gil y consulted by CubaNet He said that during the interrogation Ocaña claimed to work for the former official of the Cuban regime and that during 2023 he carried out several operations to traffic dollars extracted from Cuba.
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