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Cuban Squatter Involved in Murder Case Expelled from Spain

Friday, November 8, 2024 by Michael Hernandez

Cuban Squatter Involved in Murder Case Expelled from Spain
La Sexta. - Image of © León, in front of a villa in Marbella (Málaga)

Known by the alias León, yet identified by the initials L.P.P.M., this Cuban national, approximately 60 years old, has been on the radar of Spanish media and law enforcement since at least 2020. He gained notoriety for illegally occupying luxury villas in Marbella and Estepona, upscale areas in the Andalusian province of Málaga, popular among affluent tourists. Last October, León was expelled from Spain, though he avoided deportation to Cuba, his birthplace, thanks to his political asylum status in the Czech Republic, which agreed to accept him despite his extensive criminal record of over 30 offenses.

For years, León exploited Spanish laws that make eviction difficult if pregnant women or minors are residing in a property. This loophole allowed him to inhabit luxurious villas in Marbella and Estepona, which he then rented out to drug traffickers. These traffickers used the properties as storage sites for fuel, powering speedboats that smuggle drugs from North Africa to Spain.

His luck ran out on August 12th, when a 43-year-old British man shot and killed a person with a Belgian passport, which turned out to be fake. The victim was actually a 36-year-old Serbian linked to Balkan criminal organizations. This incident occurred during one of the after-hours parties León hosted, complete with DJs, in the basement of a luxury house he was occupying in Estepona. These gatherings attracted a youthful, party-seeking crowd, much to the dismay of local residents in these exclusive neighborhoods. Reports from the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial indicate that León even threatened neighbors with a "coconut machete" on occasion.

Despite his extensive criminal history, Spain couldn't deport him due to his asylum status in an EU country. Authorities describe León as a "professional squatter," with a network of associates who gathered intelligence on vacant properties ripe for occupation. The villa where he was apprehended is owned by an investment fund, and León was residing there with three women engaged in prostitution.

Following the summer's murder incident, police tightened their surveillance on León. He admitted to the Spanish press that he was living "by the grace of God." Eventually, he was escorted to Madrid-Barajas Airport and flown back to the Czech Republic.

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