Cuban forces kill four and wound six after exchange with Florida-registered speedboat

Cuban authorities say their border-patrol unit killed four people and wounded six after returning fire on a Florida-registered speedboat that entered Cuban territorial waters and opened fire when it was hailed for identification. The confrontation took place on the morning of Feb. 25, 2026, Cuban officials said, and has immediately triggered a criminal inquiry by the Florida attorney general's office into the vessel's registration and any links to residents of the state.

Cuban state media and officials described the incident as a clear use of lethal force by occupants of a vessel that had crossed into the island's territorial sea. Cuban authorities say their patrol craft approached the speedboat to verify identity and documentation; the occupants then opened fire on the Cuban unit, which returned fire. Cuban officials reported the casualty figures and said some of the wounded remained in hospital care.

The Florida attorney general's office announced a probe focused on ownership and registration records for the speedboat, as well as any shore-based associates in Florida who might have been involved in organizing the voyage. The inquiry signals state-level scrutiny of maritime departures from Florida to Cuba, raising questions about enforcement of U.S. registration rules and potential criminal exposure for people on American soil who facilitate unauthorized voyages to foreign territory.

The encounter immediately complicates already fraught U.S.-Cuba relations. Cuba asserts broad enforcement rights within its 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, where sovereignty and criminal jurisdiction apply. Under international law, coastal states may take measures to control their waters, but the use of lethal force across maritime boundaries risks diplomatic escalation, especially when the vessel is registered in a third country. The presence of a Florida registration will generate pressure for clarification from U.S. federal authorities even as state investigators pursue their probe.

For families on both sides of the Florida Straits, the incident is a stark operational warning. Small-boat crossings between Florida and Cuba are a constant presence in the region, shaped by migration pressures, smugglers, and political exiles. An exchange of gunfire in or near Cuban territorial waters raises immediate safety concerns for mariners, increases the likelihood of travel advisories, and could curtail informal maritime traffic that communities in southern Florida, including Cuban-American enclaves, depend on for family ties and remittances.

Legal analysts say the case presents thorny jurisdictional questions. If the vessel was in Cuban waters when shots were fired, Cuba has primary jurisdiction over crimes committed there. U.S. investigators, including federal maritime and criminal authorities, typically become involved when a U.S.-registered vessel, U.S. persons, or U.S. ports are implicated. The Florida attorney general's probe could feed evidence to federal prosecutors or to civil authorities seeking to revoke registrations and pursue charges related to human smuggling or weapons offenses.

Diplomatically, the incident will test channels between Havana and Washington. If the boat's owners or passengers are U.S. citizens or legal residents, consular issues and demands for information will follow. If foreign nationals are involved, Havana may press for broader cooperation on maritime security. For now, the immediate facts are stark: four dead, six wounded, a Florida-registered boat at the center of the clash, and a state-level investigation that may widen into a multiagency U.S. inquiry with consequences for maritime policy and bilateral ties.