Cuban coast guard says it killed 4 people in shootout with a Florida speedboat

Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald on Feb 25, 2026

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Cuban authorities said that four people on a Florida-registered speedboat were killed and six were injured in a gunfire exchange with the Cuban coast guard after the speedboat entered Cuban territorial waters.

A statement by Cuba’s Interior Ministry said the “illegal” speedboat was detected one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayo Falcones, off the northern coast of Villa Clara province in central Cuba.

According to the statement, when a Cuban coast guard vessel with five officers approached the speedboat to ask for identification, the men on the speedboat opened fire and wounded the Cuban vessel’s commander.

“As a result of the confrontation, at the time of this report, four of the foreign attackers were killed, and six were wounded,” the statement said. Those injured were evacuated and received medical attention, according to Cuban authorities.

“Faced with the current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban state in safeguarding its sovereignty and stability in the region,” the statement said.

The statement did not provide any other details about the incident or the identities of the people on board the Florida-registered vessel. The interior ministry said it is investigating the incident.

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