José Antonio Llama (born 1941)[1] was a director on the executive board of theCuban American National Foundation (CANF).[2][3][4] Llama also participated in theBay of Pigs Invasion.[5]
According to Llama, a member of theCuban American National Foundation recommended "doing more thanlobbying in Washington" to overthrow theCubanCommunist government ofFidel Castro in June 1992 during an annual congress meeting inNaples, Florida, with the foundations' general board of directors, including board chairmanJorge Mas Santos, unaware of this at the time. Llama also said thatJorge Mas Canosa andJosé "Pepe" Hernandez were selected as leaders to choose the group for armed operations. During a 1993 meeting in Puerto Rico, José "Pepe" Hernandez was selected as the group's leader due to his "known record as a fighter in the2506 Brigade and theMarines".[4][5]
On October 27, 1997, off the coast ofAguadilla, Puerto Rico, four men were captured by aUnited States Coast Guard Cutter. Theyacht,La Esperanza (English:The Hope), was discovered to be hiding a cache of weapons and military grade intelligence gear, including: two.50 calibersniper rifles,GPS equipment, lightweight radios,night-vision goggles, and 12 rounds for a .357 pistol.[3][5][6][7] On August 25, 1998, theUnited States Department of Justice (USDOJ) announced it had indicted Llama with conspiracy to assassinateCuban leader,Fidel Castro. The USDOJ believed the men were attempting to assassinate Castro when he was inMargarita Island,Venezuela, for theIbero-American Summit.[2][4][5][6][7]
A jury acquitted them on December 8, 1999, after a federal judge threw out one of the defendants’ self-incriminating statement, Angel Alfonso Aleman's, who stated upon the ship's boarding byCustoms officials that "They are weapons for the purpose of assassinating Fidel Castro."[4]
In a 2006 interview withEl Nuevo Herald, Llama declared about a plot to assassinate Castro and said other members of CANF had assisted in securing items, funding, and participating in the plot. Llama stated he disclosed the information because CANF had received US$1.4 million (roughly $2.8 million in 2024) from him between 1994 and 1997 to plan the operation and considered a lawsuit to recover his money.[failed verification] In the interview he mentioned a list of items acquired for carrying out the assassination: a cargohelicopter, ten ultralightradio-controlled planes, seven vessels, and explosives. One of those vessels was theMidnight Express fast boat, meant to take the CANF leader at the time,Jorge Mas Canosa to Cuba if a power struggle erupted or the missions were completed. Another of those vessels, "La Esperanza", was confiscated by theUnited States Department of the Treasury following the indictments.[4][6] Llama also said in the interview that he was writing an autobiography.[4]