Cuban detained at Tampa airport with $102,000 denies ties to Alejandro Gil.

The Cuban-American Mirtza Ocaña, accused of possessing over $102,000 on a return trip from Havana to Tampa, denied having any type of connection with the ousted former Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil Fernández.

"There is nothing, absolutely nothing about that. This case has nothing to do with any Cuban government official, nor with Mr. Gil or anyone," said Ocaña's lawyer Juan C. Mercado to journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla, who replicated it on his blog Café Fuerte.

The Federal Attorney's Office in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, formally charged Ocaña, 38, with two charges after being caught last February entering more than $102,000 from Cuba through Tampa Airport without declaring them to US authorities.

This fact raised alarms, especially among Cuban independent media outlets, who questioned the arrival of such an excessive amount of money at a time when the Minister of Economy and Planning, Alejandro Gil, was being removed from his position and accused of alleged corruption by the Cuban regime.

However, the defense lawyer considers it "absurd. There is no basis to affirm that. What happens is that the scandal is more attractive," mentioned Cancio Islas.

Precisely, this Tuesday, the woman has a hearing scheduled to review her case. Her lawyer has expressed optimism about the results that can be achieved.

"At this time, we are reviewing all the evidence in detail to make a decision on whether we can reach an agreement and resolve the case in her best interest," the lawyer stated.

The woman faces charges including cash smuggling and conspiracy with an unidentified person to transport, transfer, and introduce money illegally into the United States.

U.S. law requires that anyone entering the country with more than $10,000 in cash must declare it. After his arrest, Ocaña admitted to smuggling money into the United States since June 2023, making between 2 and 3 trips a month to the island. In exchange for this service, he claimed to have received payments ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.

After reviewing his travels, it was discovered that Ocaña had visited Cuba 45 times since May 2023. Despite admitting his knowledge of the illegality of entering money without declaring it, approximately a hundred thousand dollars were seized from him in total.

According to Café Fuerte, Ocaña apparently emigrated from Cuba on an unknown date and initially settled in an apartment in the city of Hialeah. Later, he relocated to Tampa, where he occupied a modest home in a mobile home park and had a car of little value.