Tampa woman charged for smuggling $100,000 into US from Cuba
Key Points(3)
- <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 38-year-old woman from Tampa finds herself in the crosshairs of federal authorities, as she stands accused of smuggling $100,000 in cash from Cuba into the United States.
- </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mirtza Ocana is charged with conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling, according to an indictment from the U.S.
- DeSantis</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->
A 38-year-old woman from Tampa finds herself in the crosshairs of federal authorities, as she stands accused of smuggling $100,000 in cash from Cuba into the United States.
Mirtza Ocana is charged with conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling, according to an indictment from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Caught in customs
According to reports, Ocana’s alleged illicit activities came to light on February 5th when she landed at Tampa International Airport on a flight originating from Cuba.
As she went through customs, Ocana maintained that she possessed nothing to declare and denied carrying more than $10,000 in cash.
However, a routine luggage inspection conducted by agents revealed $30,000 secreted within her bags, cleverly concealed in multiple wrapped packages.
Further inspection uncovered an additional $70,000 concealed within Ocana’s attire.
Confession and possible sentence
Reports state that Ocana confessed to her involvement in the operation.
She admitted to authorities that she had been engaged in smuggling U.S. currency from Cuba into the United States for several months.
She took 2-3 trips a month to smuggle the cash and was paid about $1,000-2,500 per trip.
Records further indicated she flew from Cuba to Tampa 45 times since May 2023.
If convicted on all counts, Ocana faces a maximum of five years in federal prison.
