Luis Ángel Ríos Cala (born March 28, 1978), cousin of Jorge Luis Heredia Cala who was murdered last March after discovering a marijuana plantation near Aguacate in Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba, has avoided paying the 100,000 peso bail demanded by the police. He was detained for a week at the Palma Soriano police station for investigation after he loudly protested at a funeral, claiming that if justice existed in his town, there wouldn't have been three violent murders in less than a year.
Ultimately, the 100,000 peso bail was reduced to a 1,000 peso fine, and Luis Ángel Ríos Cala is now free. Following widespread local attention to the case, despite censorship, prompted by a CiberCuba report, his family approached provincial authorities who then revoked the bail requirement. During his detention, Ríos Cala went on a hunger strike, according to sources close to him.
Ríos Cala's outburst occurred at the funeral of his neighbor, Arianni Céspedes, who was murdered on September 14 by her ex-partner in front of two children, ages 5 and 6, who were gathering almonds nearby and witnessed the fatal stabbing that punctured her lung. The community was deeply shaken as Céspedes was well-loved in Aguacate.
Series of Murders in Aguacate
In less than a year, Aguacate has been the scene of three murders: the November 2023 slaying of 15-year-old Dorka Velázquez by a rapist, the March murder of Jorge Luis Heredia Cala after he stumbled upon a marijuana field, and the recent killing of Arianni Céspedes by her ex-husband. In the case of Jorge Luis Heredia Cala, the alleged perpetrator is still at large. The prosecutor released him after five months of pre-trial detention, accepting his claim that he accidentally killed Heredia Cala while throwing a stone at an owl in a dark alley.
Allegations of Corruption and Injustice
Despite the swift arrest of Luis Ángel Ríos Cala, the authorities in Aguacate have shown a lack of urgency in investigating the ownership of the marijuana field and the actual motives behind Heredia Cala's murder. Two separate sources have alleged to CiberCuba that bribery and corruption are involved, though no concrete evidence has been provided. It is suspected that Julio A. Cuevas Pacheco, the father-in-law of the accused killer Yacel Segura (known as Tatico), might have paid to silence witnesses who saw Tatico and another man kill Heredia Cala. Now, no one seems to remember or wants to recall the incident.