Founded by emigré José Basulto, it aimed to help Cuban refugees in the Florida straits by dropping supplies from small planes and alerting the U.S. Coast Guard.

A group founded by Cuban exiles known as Brothers to the Rescue is at the center of the U.S. Justice Department’s decision to seek an indictment against Cuban leader Raúl Castro.

The US Department of Justice on Wednesday filed formal charges against former Cuban president Raúl Castro and five other Cuban military officers on counts of murder, conspiracy to…