Arrest Of "Super Mule" In Tampa For Illegally Transporting US$100,000.00 To U.S. From Cuba Not Surprising… May Have Transported US$4.5 Million In Last Nine Months.
/Arrest Of Mirtza Ocana Of Tampa For Illegally Transporting US$100,000.00 To U.S. From Cuba Not Surprising… Mirtza May Have Imported US$4.5 Million In Last Nine Months.
16 November 2020: “If Western Union Ends Remittance Services To Cuba, That Means A Return Of “Mules On Steroids””
Implementing Direct Correspondent Banking Would Mitigate This Type Of Illegal, Non-Transparent, Inefficient, and Unsafe Activity.
Undermining Argument That U.S. Dollars Generated In Cuba Remain In Cuba
United States Department of Justice- Middle District of Florida
Tampa, Florida
6 February 2024
“Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Mirtza Ocana (38, Tampa) with smuggling over $100,000 of United States currency into the United States from Cuba. If convicted on all counts, Ocana faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, Ocana arrived at Tampa International Airport on an international flight from Cuba on February 5, 2024. She claimed that she did not have more than $10,000 on her person (a limit that would trigger reporting requirements), thus had nothing to declare. However, during a routine inspection of her luggage, agents from the Department of Homeland Security recovered approximately $30,000 in bulk cash concealed in three wrapped packages. Ocana then admitted that she flew from Cuba to Tampa two to three times per month to smuggle cash into the United States and that she knew that bringing bulk cash into the United States without reporting it was illegal. Agents searched Ocana and discovered an additional $70,000 in cash hidden in her clothes. Ocana’s flight history later revealed that she had flown from Cuba to Tampa 45 times since May 2023.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan.”
LINK TO COMPLETE FILED COMPLAINT
LINK TO COMPLETE ANALYSIS IN PDF FORMAT
Links To Related Analyses
If Western Union Ends Remittance Services To Cuba, That Means A Return Of “Mules On Steroids”- The Impact Could Cripple MIA November 16, 2020
Biden-Harris Administration Approves First Equity Investment Since 1960 In A Private Cuban Company May 10, 2022
With U.S. Government Authorization For First Direct Equity Investment Into A Private Company In Cuba, Here Is Important Context And Details. About The Parties; About The Message. May 16, 2022
