Smuggling Case Witness, 5 Other Cubans Released

MIAMI —  Six Cubans found in a stranded boat were released to relatives Friday from U.S. immigration custody, including a 14-year-old boy authorities say is a material witness in the case against two alleged smugglers.

The boat ran out of fuel Monday off Key West, Fla. The Coast Guard towed it to shore, unaware the six were hiding inside. The five adults scampered onto a dock. Cubans who make it to shore usually are allowed to stay in the U.S. The boy was not sent back to Cuba because he is considered a witness against boat owner Elizardo Ruiz Alvarez and Martin Mendez Diaz, officials said. The two Miami men were free Friday in lieu of bail.

The boy’s mother in Cuba has identified him as Leonel Figueroa Orozcohas. She said she wants him to remain in the United States with his father.