Arms Smuggling -- Cuba
[Reference:
Personal papers of Tom Dunkin. Notes, 3 pages]
[NOTE: Spelling was not
changed from the original]
Sept. 15, 1974--This material originally was compiled at the
request of
Jay McMullen during September and November of 1966 while the
"Nassau
Project" was alive, and later clips from home files at his
request for
all possible information on arms smuggling).
Tom dunkin
9/25/66
Arms Smuggling-Cuba
Source-Miami Herald Reference Library
Envelope covering period 1964-5
Clip dated Sept. 24, 1964:
Ricardo Lorie Y Valla, one of Castro's chief weapons
purchasers in the
U.S. Testified before the Senate Internal Security
subcommittee that
agents bought guns in all stores in Florida that would sell
guns.
The guns were hidden in homes of various Cubans in Miami,
then
transported to Fort Lauderdale for air transportation to the
Sierra
Maestra.
---
Clip dated Feb. 14 1964:
AP dispatch datelined Jacksonville, Fla.
"Customs officials said Thursday no federal charges will be
filed
against a young Cuban refugee arrested with a quantity of
bazooka
shells, hunting knives and medicine in his car.
"Customs Agent W.B. Lankford said investigation has
determined that
apparently no federal law was violated by Juan Miguel Rassi,
21, of New
York City, except possible transportation of goods intended
for export,
without a license.
"This could lead to the confiscation of Rassi's automobile
and the
goods it contained, Lankford said, but no criminal charges
will be
pressed."
---
Envelope on Subject- CUBA- Arms Smuggling, series March
27,28,30,31, 1958.
Series written by Georga Southworth and Donne Petitclore
quoted Customs
agents Charles E. Wyatt and William B. Lankford as saying
movement of
arms through Miami to Cuba is a steady operation.
Customs had
confiscated arms valued at from $75,000 to $100,00 during
the last
year, and it was estimated by Batista government that they
had
confiscated at leasted $2 million worht of arms struggled
into Cuba
from the U.S.
--
Clip dated Oct. 13, 1958:
Customs and Florida Highway Patrol arrested three Cubans on
Florida turnpike (Sunshine State Parkway) with 200 M-1
rifles.
Officers had trailed them 500 miles before making the arrest
--
(Southworth-Petitclare series said that fines ranging from
$100 to
$1000 usually were imposed upon persons convicted of
smuggling arms in
1958.)
--
Clip dated Nov. 30 1958:
The 80-foot lyacht Restless II was caught near Key Biscayne
with 200
rifles, 7,000 rounds of immunition. Supervising Agent
Charles V.
Wyatt and Border Patrolman Charles Williams made seizure.
Eight men were arrested, including Guillermo Martin, 36, of
4040 Sw 60
Ct., Clip said case going to grand jury Dec. 3, but no
follow up clip
in envelope.
OF POSSIBLE INTEREST for further research: Case
against Bachman
brothers, Stanley J.; Jerome H. and Bernard S. Bachman,
doing business
as Stanborn Securities Corp., in Rochester N.Y. charged with
conspiracy
to provide arms to Fidel Castro. Nov. 30, 1958 clips
said hung
jury resulted in mistrial, and government considering
retrial. No
follow up material in envelope.
-----------------------------
arms smuggling-cuba-page 2
Clip dated June 11, 1959: (Virginia Bland case)
Virginia Bland, female pilot, and five others cleared of
conspiracy
charges; seven others to be arraigned for trying to fly arms
from Miami
to Dominican Republic. (News story sketchy, baut
involved
attempted bribery of Customs Agent Wallace Shanley.
Full details
of incident reported in book by Miriam Ottenber," The
Federal
Investigators").
--
Clip dated July 1, 1959:
Three arrested and one escaped when carload of arms and a
light plane were seized at North Perry Airport in Broward
County.
Rolando Masferrer was found a few miles from the airport
about an hour
after the 3 a.m. seizure. He was arrested for having
no driver's
license, and later released. He was driving a car
owned by
Richard Jaffee, 29, of 2030 NW 175th st., owner of Torch
Investments
Corp., and also owner of the plane involved. Quantity
of
anti-Castro leaflets found in car with Masferrer.
The trio arrested was identified as Jose Carbonell Peres
Marrero, alias
Jose Carbonell, 51, of 3614 NW 12th Terrace; Carlos Manuel
Zayas
Castro, 30, of 415 SW 5th St., a former newspaper editor in
Cuba, and
Robert John Daut, 38, of 1570 NW 20th St., a Miami
photographer.
--
Clip dated July 30, 1959:
Two Americans and one Cuban arrested at a Key Largo airstrip
with load
of arms bound for Cuba. Arrest made by Border Patrol,
sheriff's
deputies and a state fish and wildlife officer. Cargo
included 15
Springfield rifles, and 20,000 rounds of ammunition.
Ray Bond, senior inspector for Homestead unit of Border
Patrol said
names of those arrested could not be released because all
three have
relatives living in Cuba.
Arrest made at Ocean Reef airstrip, where a resident
notified
authorities that something odd was going on the night
before, when
someone put flares out on airstrip, plane landed then took
off.
Seizure made at 2:40 a.m., involved a 1959 Piper
Comanche. The
arrested men were to be given a hearing before U.S.
Commissioner Roger
Davis "later today" (July 30, 1959). Plane had been rented
at Tamiami
Airport on Tuesday, from Howe Aviation. Rented by
Carlos Rojas,
about 24, of 409 SE 9th Ave., Hialeah.
--
Clip dated Aug. 3, 1959:
Manuel Carlos Rojas, 21, of 409 SE 9th Ave, Hialeah, and
Orlando
Ramirez, 29, of Havana, landed a plane on road at Grassy Key
Saturday
night and tried to unload and hide cargo of arms. The
duo said
they had tried to fly arms into Pinar del Rio Province, but
a Cuban f51
chased them away.
Cargo was arms valued at $5,000- included 30 carbines and
20,000 rounds
of ammunition. Rojas and Ramirez complained
spectators, who
prevented them from unloading and hiding arms, were "aiding
communism." Spectators held the two for police, L.
Rene Raiole of
Monroe county Sheriff's Department was arresting officer.
------------------------------
arms smuggling-cuba- page 3
Rojas and Ramirez mistook rotating light on restaurant on
Grassy Kay
for an airport beacon, and made perfect landing on paved
road.
They were held in Monroe County jail on arms smuggling
charge, and were
to be taken before U.S. Commissioner William V. Alloway in
Key West.
Rojas was free on #2,500 bond on a similar charge made a
week earlier at Key Largo.
--
clip dated Dec. 4, 1960:
Roy Katon, 45, operator of the Tamiami Gun Shop, 3050 SW 8th
St.
Three persons found guilty of gun running in federal
court. Judge
Emmett Choate delayed sentencing pending routine presentence
investigation.
The three were:
Roy Katon, 45, operator of the Tamiami Gun Shop, 3050 SW 8th
St.
Luis Orlando Alvarez, no address given.
Carlos Zayas Castro, "
" "
--
Clip dated Aug. 9, 1959:
Reported that General Services Administration was to inspect
seized
weapons stored by Customs from seizures over the last two
years, to
determine disposition.
Some weapons, submachineguns, had been issued to prison
guards and some rifles given to U.S. Atomic Energy
Commission guards.
Smithsonian Institution asked for Cuban machetes from seized
items for museum pieces.
--
(Note for further research. story published July 5,
1959 in Miami
News, Page 2 B, by Sanford Schnier, headlinged "Where Do
Smugglers Get
Those Guns?"
(end research notes)
End of Page
Copyright
1998-2014 Cuban Information Archives. All Rights
Reserved.
