A boat reported stolen from a dock in the Florida Keys is now at the center of an international incident after authorities believe the same Florida-registered vessel was allegedly involved in a deadly armed confrontation in Cuban waters Wednesday.
According to a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office incident report, deputies were dispatched Wednesday afternoon to a home in Big Pine Key for a possible stolen vessel.
Big Pine Key boat reported stolen, linked to deadly shooting in Cuban waters
At the home, a man named Angel Walter Montera told deputies his 24-foot 1981 Pro-Line boat, registered in Florida as FL7726SH, had been docked at the property but was missing. Montera said he began receiving calls from news media about a vessel taken to Cuba that was involved in a shooting. Images circulating in Cuban media showed the same Florida registration number tied to his boat, according to the report.
Cuban officials said Wednesday that a speedboat from Florida entered Cuban waters carrying weapons and that its occupants, Cuban nationals living in the United States, allegedly planned to carry out a terrorist infiltration on the island. A U.S. official told CBS News that at least two of those involved were U.S. citizens, including one who was killed and another who was injured. A third person was in the U.S. on a K-1 visa, and others may be legal permanent residents.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry said the vessel was about one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino canal in Cayo Falcones when Border Guard Troops approached it for identification. Authorities allege those aboard opened fire, injuring the commander of the Cuban patrol boat.
Cuban officials said four people aboard the speedboat were killed in the confrontation and six others were injured and arrested. The ministry said the boat carried 10 people armed with assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights and camouflage uniforms.
The identities and alleged motives described by Cuban authorities have not been independently confirmed by U.S. officials.
Monroe County deputies investigate vessel theft in the Florida Keys
In Monroe County, Montera told deputies he had not given anyone permission to use the vessel and believed a former employee who had done tile work for him, identified in the report as Hector Duardy Cruz Correa, may have taken it without authorization.
On Thursday afternoon, the Cuban Embassy in the U.S. identified Cruz Correa as one of the 10 individuals involved in the incident. According to the post on X, Cruz Correa was among the four killed. Cuban officials spelled Cruz Correa’s middle name as “Duani” whereas the Monroe Sheriff’s Office had it as “Duardy” in their report.
A white 2026 Chevy truck registered to Cruz Correa was allegedly seen at the property around the time the boat was taken on Tuesday, according to witness statements in the incident report.
A neighbor told deputies she saw a single man arrive in a white pickup truck around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and board the vessel before it left the dock. Surveillance cameras at a nearby home captured the white truck arriving, though the full departure of the boat was partially obstructed by a palm tree, the report said.
Deputies contacted Homeland Security Investigations, and federal agents responded to the scene, according to the report. The Monroe County case remains listed as active.
The incident unfolds amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Cuba following new sanctions and tariffs imposed by President Trump in recent weeks.
