Is the 'Wasp Network' based on a true story? Read about the Penélope Cruz-starrer film

Wasp Network is a 2019 drama film, which recently released on Netflix. The film is based on the book The Last Soldiers of the Cold War by biographer and journalist Fernando Morais. Find out, ‘Is the Wasp Network based on a true story?’

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Is the Wasp Network based on a true story?

Wasp Network is indeed based on the true story of a group named 'Cuban Five'. The meteoric rise of Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro in 1959, brought many sociopolitical changes in the country. It led to many Cuban citizens fleeing the Caribbean country and seeking refuge in the US-owned island of Miami. As the community of Cuban expatriated grew on the island, many anti-Castro sentiments were fuelled.

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What is the Wasp Network's real story?

Many organisations were formed in Miami at this time, such as Cuban American  Coordination of United Revolutionary Organisations (CORU), Alpha 66, and Omega 7 rose up. They were all dedicated to reversing the damage of Castro's rule. But their activities were being monitored by the Cuban government from miles away. The Cuban government was convinced that these groups were planning a terrorist attack on their homeland.

As a result of this suspicion, the Cuban Government recruited five men in Havana. These men were a part of its intelligence team,  La Red Avispa, which loosely translates to “Wasp Network” in English. They were tasked with the confidential mission to infiltrate in these organisations and bring intelligence of their activities and plans back to the Cuban government.

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The original members of the Wasp Network were Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González. They left Cuba and arrived in Miami soon after. But back home in Miami, their families were outcasted from their communities for their links with the would-be traitors.

In the midst of these whirlwind events, the American government is secretly keeping an eye on the activities of the Cubans in Miami. American governments findings span a period of 30 years and they soon begin to suspect that five Cuban men had gained access to unclassified information obtained from an American military base. In the upcoming years, the Bill Clinton government arrested the Cuban Five and charged with false identification and conspiracy to commit espionage in 1998.

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The trial that follows finds the captured members of the Wasp Network guilty. They are then sentenced to varying prison sentences, some were to serve less than 20 years behind bars with the chance of deportation upon their release, while others faced life in prison. A series of appeals were made by the defendants and various human rights organisations for the release of all five men. They were finally freed in 2014.

Is Ana Margarita Martinez in Wasp Network, based on a real person?

The role of Ana Margarita Martinez in the film Wasp Network is played by the Cuban Spanish actor Ana de Armas. The real Ana Margarita Martinez was born in Cuba and came to America at the age of 6 years. When she met Juan Pablo, the Cuban spy, she already had two kids of her own. The couple got married after dating for three years. One night Juan Pablo left without telling anything to Ana Margarita. She found out about his whereabouts through the news. It turned out that he fled back to Cuba, and his marriage with Ana was just a cover for the mission he had arrived in America for.