- Shock in a village in Villa Clara due to a mistake by a command of ’black berets’
- Officers raided several homes in search of a cattle thief
14ymedio, Yankiel Gutiérrez Faife, Camajuaní (Villa Clara), 18 September 2024 — Vicente Florit Viñales, 47, is still in a state of shock after the violent raid on his farm in San Benigno, in Villa Clara. The farmer was involved in a colossal police error, when several agents, believing that they had just caught a cattle thief, aggressively immobilized him on the floor until the head of the sector, present at the time, shouted: “He’s not the guy!”
The events occurred during the early hours of September 11, when more than 40 armed men, including members of the Special Brigade of the Ministry of the Interior – the “Black Berets” – with the head of the sector of the area in command, surrounded Vicente’s house and invaded it without prior warning.
“Everyone get out of the house, we have you surrounded,” a voice burst out around 3:00 in the morning in that peaceful village in the municipality of Camajuaní, of about 250 inhabitants who live from agriculture. Less than two minutes passed, but the impatience of the black berets overtook Vicente, who was heading towards the door at that moment. The agents opened it by force and, without saying a word, immobilized and interrogated him until the sector head spoke up and announced the mistake.
Vicente, without a word, was immobilized and interrogated until the sector head announced the mistake
However, the uniformed men did not give up and continued with their search of the house. Vicente watched stunned as the agents, accustomed to suppressing demonstrations and carrying out command actions against armed criminals, continued breaking things, including door and window handles. They stopped when a mysterious man with a long beard and crucifix-shaped earrings, about 35 years old, appeared. Faced with the farmer’s bewilderment, the agents withdrew without offering any explanation, or apologizing for the violent nocturnal intrusion and the mistake.
The police operation aimed to arrest a well-known criminal in the area, nicknamed “Machetico,” with an extensive criminal record, who steals cattle from the farmers in the area and then kills them to sell. However, the inaccuracy in the information caused a disproportionate deployment in the wrong place.
“Someone here must have told the police that Machetico was staying at Florit Viñales’ house, because they first went straight to his house and, after seeing that he was not there, checked two other nearby houses, but they didn’t find him,” said Manuel González, a 64-year-old farmer.
The police operation aimed to arrest a well-known criminal in the area, nicknamed ’Machetico,’ with an extensive criminal record
According to some neighbors, during the afternoon some strange movements were seen, and someone apparently saw the criminal wandering around the area. “These guys don’t have a fixed address; they sleep wherever they find themselves at night,” said Ramiro, who lives nearby.
Florit Viñales was not the only one affected by the actions of the authorities. His neighbor, Dayana Espinosa Collazo, was sleeping with her husband when the Black Berets broke into her house. “I got the biggest scare of my life. They opened both doors and came in; they went from one door to the other as if they were the owners. They came screaming into my room with batons and tossed everything. We were even naked, but they didn’t care. The house was completely surrounded.”
The case sent shockwaves through the community of San Benigno and its surroundings, where Florit Viñales is known as an honest and respected worker. “It was very cruel, and we don’t know whose fault it was. Well, I trust in revolutionary justice, because I am forged under the principles of this Revolution,” says his wife, Leticia Galdona, indignantly.
The case sent shockwaves through the community of San Benigno and its surroundings, where Florit Viñales is known as an honest and respected worker
“For God’s sake, I know the farmer and his family; they are loved and respected people in this place. Do not remain silent, report this to the authorities. What’s going on? This looks like a western movie; someone has to pay for that abuse,” exclaims another neighbor, Milady Sánchez Mesa.
The neighbors, not very open to questioning the authorities, nevertheless express their astonishment. “I hope that justice is done and that the work of Alexey, the head of the community sector, who led the operation, is analyzed. When I went to talk to him, I did it with a lot of respect and decency; however, he mistreated me and didn’t let me speak. He received me with the worst rudeness you can say to a lady, even during my recovery process,” adds Florit Viñales’ wife, who is recovering from an operation for a tumor and a blood clot.
Vecinos de la comunidad de San Benigno, Villa Clara / 14ymedio[/caption]
This newspaper tried to talk to the delegate of the area to get his version of the incident after Florit Viñales’ wife intervened. However, after a first contact, he stopped responding to messages and calls
Translated by Regina Anavy
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