The Provincial Court of Almería, located in Andalusia, Spain, has sentenced three Cuban nationals to prison terms for plotting to murder another Cuban in the town of Roquetas de Mar back in December 2022. Two of the individuals received nearly ten-year sentences each, while the third was handed a six-year term.
The court found that the mastermind behind the crime, who was both a friend and a bandmate of the victim, orchestrated the attack due to personal "disputes," according to local media reports. He enlisted the help of two accomplices: one who shared a residence with him in Almería, and another who traveled from Oviedo in Asturias, approximately 620 miles away, to participate in the attempted murder.
On December 12, 2022, the main perpetrator rented a car to "avoid detection." The following day, all three men went to the 501 Bar in Roquetas de Mar to ambush their target. As per the court's decision, the mastermind lured the intended victim to the site under the guise of purchasing cocaine, an issue under separate investigation.
Close to midnight, the assailants waited outside the bar for their target to arrive in his vehicle. From the rented car, the Cubans fired six shots, but only one hit, injuring the ambushed Cuban in the buttock. The victim's quick reaction, turning toward the right seat, allowed him to drive away and avoid further harm. Following the attack, the assailants fled the scene.
An Elaborate Plan Gone Wrong
The court concluded that although the mastermind did not fire the gun, he directed and coordinated the operation, playing a crucial role in its execution. His roommate was identified as the shooter. The accomplice from Oviedo was deemed a "necessary collaborator," as he provided logistical support and stayed near the bar during the assault, though he did not take any indispensable actions.
The intellectual author received an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for attempted murder, along with a restraining order to maintain a distance of 500 meters for 17 years, five years of supervised release, and a compensation payment of 22,560 euros to the victim. An additional one year and three months were added for illegal possession of weapons, culminating in a total prison sentence of nine years and nine months. Similar penalties were given to the co-perpetrator who fired the shots, while the Oviedo accomplice was sentenced to six years: four years and nine months for attempted murder and one year and three months for weapon possession.
Another Tragic Incident in Roquetas de Mar
The identities of the convicted Cubans have not been disclosed. In a more recent and unrelated violent incident involving a Cuban, a 76-year-old Cuban pediatrician named Rafael Piorno Fermoselle was murdered in his home in Roquetas de Mar just three months ago. His body, bound and in a pool of blood, was discovered on August 25. Piorno, originally from San Luis in Santiago de Cuba, was a graduate in Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology from the University of Havana's Faculty of Medicine. He had been residing in Spain for several decades, having moved there with his Cuban-born wife.