Havana, Sep 7 (RHC) Cuban authorities reported Thursday the arrest of 17 individuals during the process of dismantling a human trafficking network that operates to incorporate Cuban citizens into military operations in Ukraine.
Specialists from the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Ministry of the Interior detailed in the television space of the Noticiero Estelar that the responsibility of those involved in this criminal network in our country is currently being investigated.
Of these, they expanded, three belonged to the recruitment scheme within the Caribbean nation, directed from abroad.
The remaining 14 people confessed to having joined the operation by individual and voluntary decision, in exchange for residency in Russia and a substantial monetary remuneration.
The organizers promoted the identification of individuals with criminal records, coming from dysfunctional families, to incorporate them into the mercenary system. The main criminal evidence is the confessions made by the detainees and the communications established by the ringleader internally in the network with the rest of those involved, they explained.
Investigations into these events harmful to national security are currently continuing.
The chief prosecutor of the Supervision Department of the Directorate of Criminal Proceedings of the Attorney General's Office of the Republic, José Luis Reyes, explained that during the progress and completion of the investigations, the attributable crime for each case will be determined, in correspondence with the actions and the will of those involved.
He added that, according to the Penal Code, those involved can be charged with crimes of human trafficking or smuggling, as well as mercenarism, the latter includes penalties of deprivation of liberty from 10 to 30 years, perpetual deprivation of liberty or death.
For her part, the director of International Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yelina Silva, ratified Cuba's historic position against mercenarism, of which the Caribbean nation has been the target on several occasions.
The diplomat stated that her country subscribes to several international treaties against this scourge and has been the author of initiatives approved by the United Nations on the subject.
A few days ago, the Cuban Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing that the country was facing human trafficking operations for military recruitment purposes.
In that text, it was ratified that Cuba is not part of the war conflict in Ukraine and that it will act vigorously against whoever, from the national territory, participates in any form of human trafficking for the purposes of recruitment or mercenarism so that Cuban citizens can use of weapons against any country.
(Source: Prensa Latina).