Havana--A Cuban court has sentenced two men to life in prison for the murder of four would-be emigrants seeking to leave the island by boat, the official newspaper Granma said Monday.
Five other defendants were sentenced to prison terms of eight to 25 years for their role in the scheme to rob victims lured with promises of a clandestine sea voyage to the United States, the report said.
Granma said the defendants succeeded in getting eleven people to sign up for a bogus boat trip.
According to Granma, they gathered at a farm near Havana on June 7, 2014 but once there were set upon by the defendants, who killed four of the would-be emigrants, men aged 25 to 43.
Cuba's communist government lifted most restrictions on travel in 2013, but some Cubans still opt to leave the island by boat despite the dangers because of difficulties in obtaining visas.
afp
