A Cuban exile leader charged today that the arrest of two exiles facing murder charges in Mexico is the result of pressure from the United States to force Mexico to ask for the extradition of the two in order to also secure the return of a former Mexican official accused of embezzling $7.5 million from his government.

Frank Castro said yesterday's arrest here of Pablo Gustavo Castillo, 32, and Gaspar Jimenez, 43, both of Miami, stemmed from a deal involving the requested extradition of the embezzling suspect, Alfredo Rios Camarana, arrested in Miami Beach July 18.

A federal prosecutor handling both cases denied Castro's accusation.

The Cuban exiles are charged in Mexico, together with Orestes Ruiz, already in a Mexican jail, with the attempted kidnap of the Cuban consul in Merida and the murder of his secretary some 18 months ago.

Castro previously has been identified as head of the National Cuban Liberation Front (FLNC), a group which helped found CORU, a coalition of exile groups that took responsibility for the attempted kidnap. He said the US, which wants to see Castillo and Jimenez prosecuted in Mexico, urged Mexico to actively seek the exiles as a condition to the extradition of Rios Camarena.

Castro said the Mexicans primarily are interested in the return of Rios Camarena, a former tourism official, who has been fighting extradition here since his arrest.

"This is obviously a little strange deal with the Mexican (Rios Camarena)," Castro said. "We give you the Mexican for the two Cubans sort of thing. ..a delinquent for two patriots."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome Sanford, who is prosecuting Rios Camarena and the two Cuban exiles, said the Mexican government has shown a lot of interest in their former government official, but said he never discussed any deal with Mexican officials.

"I don't know that any deal like that was ever made," Sanford said. "A lot of things happen without my knowledge. I am just one of the soldiers. But I've had no indication of it."

Other sources, however, said discussions of the advantages of such a deal with Mexico had taken place in law enforcement circles here. They said the U.S. government may have informally encouraged the Mexican government to seek the extradition of the two Cuban exiles as a way to join in combating international terrorism,

The Rios Camarena extradition proceedings had already started by the time the Mexicans requested the extradition of the two exiles last month. The exiles were arrested yesterday by FBI agents and were to go before a U.S. magistrate today.

Jimenez, arrested with Ruiz in Merida after the kidnap attempt, escaped from his Mexican jail cell in March and came to Miami. Castillo fled the U.S. after the kidnap.

FBI agents arrested Castillo in Puerto Rico a year ago and brought him to testify before a federal grand jury here probing international terrorism and the Mexican incident.

Castro was with Castillo at the time of his arrest and later was in Miami raising funds for Castillo's legal defense. Castillo was charged with a University of Miami bombing and with lying in his passport application. He was acquitted of both charges.

Julius Mattson, in charge of Miami's FBI office, said Castillo and Jimenez were arrested for extradition proceedings only because Mexico had requested their return on charges of "murder, attempted murder and attempted kidnapping."

Castillo was arrested at 60th Street and West 5th Avenue in Hialeah; Jimenez, at his home, 5250 SW 2nd St.

U.S. Magistrate Charlene Sorrentino denied bond for both men today saying she believed that provisions of the United States treaty with Mexico did not provide for a bond. However, Ms. Sorrentino gave attorneys until Friday to file a motion for bond.

Armando Lopez Estrada, military leader of the Bay of Pigs Combatants Association-Brigade 2506 and a personal friend of Jimenez, said attorney Ed O'Donnell has agreed to defend Jimenez. The Brigade had praised the Merida action but later dropped out of CORU, which it helped found.

O'Donnell last month successfully defended Lopez Estrada and three other exiles against charges of possession of illegal weapons in connection with an alleged plot to conduct a naval raid on Cuba. Other charges in connection with that incident are pending.