Man who had cache of weapons claims to be part of anti-Castro group

ap/modbee ^ | 4/20/06

[LouAvul]

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) - A Cuban exile arrested for allegedly stashing more than 1,000 guns in his home claims to be a member of a militant group that wants to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Robert Ferro, 61, was arrested after authorities raided his Upland home on Friday and found dozens of assault weapons, machine guns and handguns. Authorities believe Ferro may have been running a black-market gun ring out of the home.

But Ferro told federal investigators that he was a member of Alpha 66, "a militant group who collectively desire to overthrow Fidel Castro and liberate the country of Cuba," according to an affidavit filed in federal court by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Ferro said the organization paid for the guns and had other caches of weapons, according to the court document.

"To hear this is shocking. I don't know what's going on. I don't understand it," said the suspect's wife, Maria Ferro. "I know he wants Castro out of Cuba, but I didn't know the other things he wanted to get into."

Another search of the house Wednesday turned up more firearms as well as live hand grenades. Authorities had come to the house investigating a man accused of shooting his wife and a Glendora police officer.

Frank Fidel Beltran, 36, of La Verne, was arrested March 27 at a Rancho Cucamonga home owned by Ferro. Beltran eluded capture after allegedly shooting a police officer responding to a domestic disturbance call, and then allegedly shooting his estranged wife weeks later in San Dimas.

Ferro, a retired Army Special Forces officer, had previously been accused of running a paramilitary camp on a Pomona chicken ranch to train Mexican nationals to overthrow Castro.

[Triggerhippie]

to train Mexican nationals to overthrow Castro.

And what is their motivation to do THAT?

[domenad]

Overthrow Castro? Come on in and have a espresso my friend, let's talk. And while we're at it, have you been to Venezuela? It's gorgeous this time of year.

[EagleUSA]

Sorry, but Castro is still alive -- nice try guy -- if I get in the market for a machine gun, I will give you a call.

[Dead Corpse]

Actually, he wasn't accused of running the training camp, it was the illegal C-4 that earned him his felony conviction.

[dfwgator]

"I kill communists for fun, but for a Green Card, I'm gonna carve him up real nice."

[domenad]

Pahahahahah! Hell yeah!
"Manny look at the pelican fly! Come oooooon pelican!"

[B4Ranch]

, "a militant group who collectively desire to overthrow Fidel Castro and liberate the country of Cuba,"

Or were their intentions closer to home, maybe repatriate Aztlán?

.....MEChA consists of the Brown Berets de Aztlán, OLA (Organization for the Liberation of Aztlán), La Raza Unida Party, and the "Nation of Aztlán" to name a few. MEChA's national constitution starts out: "Chicano and Chicana students of Aztlán must take upon themselves the responsibilities to promote Chicanismo within the community, politicizing our Raza with an emphasis on indigenous consciousness to continue the struggle for the self-determination of the Chicano people for the purpose of liberating Aztlán."

......Repatriating Aztlán, the eight or nine states including Colorado, California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon and parts of Colorado and Washington has long been a goal of certain sectors of the march organizers.

[traviskicks]

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