History 1998

The FBI arrests at 5.30 a group of "Cuban spies , members of the Wasp (Avispa) Net ; They are named: René González, Antonio Guerrero, Luis Medina, Rubén Campa and Manuel Viramontes. Other names are given until reaching 10, among them women, but the main ones, are the first, according to what has been stated. Few hours later of that same day, the FBI reports about the operation and about the arrested ones to Cuban American representatives of the Chamber: Ileana Ross Lehtinen and Lincoln Díaz Balart, both of long anti Cuban history.

The 10 mentioned peoples are accused by the FBI before the Federal Court of Miami, "of working as government agents of Cuba"

A Judge denies bails

René, Antonio, Luis, Rubén and Manuel are driven to the "hole" euphemistically called Special House Unit, reduced to punishing cells with great mould and humidity, where they stay 23 out of 24 hours of the day. They only get out an hour for "recreation" ( to stretch legs in a closed space and only a hole in the roof). They were being kept 17 months in the "hole" of the Federal Center of Detention at Miami.

A Federal instruction jury at Miami starts a cause for spying USA and having served as illegal agents of the Communist government of Havana", the local press informs that " the true identities of three accused are not known."

Miami Herald and Nuevo Herald inform that an agreement is trying to be reached with several detainees, " with minor responsibilities in the wasp net", who "were not instructed of any charge together with the rest."

In an interview with CNN at Lisbon, Portugal, President Fidel Castro explains openly Cuba´s position with respect to the right the homeland has to defend itself from terrorist acts against its people, organized and financed from USA . He informs which the goals were of the five Cuban patriots, already arrested, who faced the risk in order to obtain and transmit information about such criminal actions being carried out with the tolerance and complicity of North American authorities. He reiterates that the island is not interested in any type of information about strategic matters of USA.