Nicolás Maduro appoints a Cuban as Minister of Tourism.

The recent appointment of the Cuban nationalized Venezuelan, Leticia Cecilia Gómez Hernández, as Minister of Tourism in Nicolás Maduro's government has sparked a new controversy regarding the infiltration of the Castro regime into the framework of Bolivarian power.

In the complicated framework of the relationship between Cuba and Venezuela, the name Gómez Hernández stands out for her influence and power in the tourism industry. According to Venezuelan investigative journalist Ibéyise Pacheco, the newly appointed tourism minister arrived in Venezuela in 2001 alongside the current Cuban Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, and quickly began to climb the ranks within the tourism sector.

Marrero Cruz, who began his career towards power as an investor in Grupo Gaviota until he became the president of this tourism company owned by the Business Administration Group S.A (GAESA) controlled by the military of the Cuban regime, was appointed minister of tourism by the dictator Fidel Castro in 2004, until 2019, when he took on his current position.

From his influential position as president of Gaviota and "trusted man" of the Castro clan, made up of the military elite and communist leaders, Marrero Cruz introduced Gómez Hernández to the Venezuelan tourism sector, already under the control of Hugo Chávez's regime.

An upward trajectory: From Cuba to Venezuela

From his early days in Margarita, Gómez Hernández earned a reputation for being an effective executor with a strong leadership style, earning the nickname "the Boss" among the workers of the Hotel Venetur, a complex expropriated from the Hilton chain by Chávez.

This was one of her early significant positions for the Cuban in the Andean country. In 2015, Gómez Hernández took over the management of this hotel, and three years later, her influence was such that she was appointed president of the state-owned Venezuelan Tourism Company (Venetur).

Her role was not only limited to hotel management; Gómez Hernández played a crucial part in the strategic tourism decisions of the state of Nueva Esparta, which includes the islands of Margarita, Coche, and Cubagua. In 2021, she was promoted to Deputy Minister of International Tourism, consolidating her power in the Venezuelan governmental sphere.

According to the Venezuelan investigative journalism portal Armando.info, the Ministry of Tourism claims that the Cuban serves as "the eyes" within the office for Diosdado Cabello and his wife, Marleny Contreras, a former head of the ministry.

Cabello has been identified as one of the bosses of the "Cartel de los Soles," dedicated to drug trafficking, one of the favorite lucrative activities of the Cuban regime. A 2019 article from Anonimus-Venezuela referred to Cabello's connections with Gómez Hernández, as well as the request to investigate the financial links between the two.

The key role of Gómez Hernández in the Cuba-Venezuela relationship

The influence of Gómez Hernández is not limited to his official positions. His presence in Venezuela represents a vital connection point between the interests of the Cuban regime and chavismo.

Gómez has led initiatives to attract tourism from Cuba to Venezuela, promoting what is presented as business opportunities for both countries, but which in reality seem to be money laundering schemes and evasion of international sanctions, employing Cuban citizens who act as "mules" in a supposed "shopping tourism" heavily monitored and supervised by State Security in Margarita.

The operations led by Gómez are aligned with the interests of the GAESA conglomerate, the powerful military entity in Cuba that monopolizes tourism on the island and whose tentacles extend through its agreements and operations in Venezuela.

This monopoly not only serves to capture the foreign currencies needed by the Cuban regime, but it also ensures control over Cuban citizens abroad, limiting their chances of defecting or acting outside of state surveillance.

The control of "La Jefa" and the Cuban penetration

The arrival of Gómez Hernández in positions of power in Venezuela coincided with the growing presence of other Cubans in strategic roles within the country. A clear example is the company 1014 GTN Inversiones C.A., founded by Venezuelans, but which quickly came to be controlled by Cubans with direct connections to the regime in Havana.

Economist Teresa Segura Cisneros and government journalist Félix Enrique López Rodríguez are two of these Cubans, who, along with Gómez Hernández, manage the flow of Cuban tourists to Margarita under strict supervision.

The operations of 1014 GTN Inversiones reflect a pattern of shady business, where control and surveillance are the norm. These tourists, guided and monitored at all times, barely manage to fill their suitcases with basic products, while the true purpose of these operations seems to be the generation of foreign currency for the Cuban regime and the strengthening of commercial ties between the sectors most aligned with the interests of GAESA and chavismo.

The GAESA connection and the exchange of favors

The dominance of GAESA in the Cuban tourism sector is indisputable, and its influence in Venezuela, through figures like Gómez Hernández, reinforces this hegemony. The management of these tourist flows serves the interests of both regimes, consolidating a system of control that operates in both Cuba and Venezuela.

The creation of official tourist routes between Cuba and Margarita -promoted by Gómez Hernández according to the independent media CubaNet- is nothing more than an example of how these two nations, under the aegis of their respective regimes, have established a collaboration scheme that goes beyond simple trade agreements.

It is a surveillance and control system that ensures that both tourists and those involved in these businesses are under the constant scrutiny of the security apparatus of the Cuban state, which now also operates in Venezuelan territory.

A Boss in Two Worlds

Born in Cuba, Gómez Hernández has risen in the structure of the Venezuelan government to become a key figure, not only in the tourism sector but also as another link in the penetration of the Cuban regime in Venezuela.

Gómez Hernández is much more than a Minister of Tourism. Her story and trajectory reflect the deep intertwining of the Cuban regime in Venezuela, using tourism as a tool for control and currency acquisition.

His rise to power is a testament to the success of these strategies, which continue to strengthen the ties between Havana and Caracas, always under the shadow of the omnipresent GAESA.

In an environment where few dare to speak, "the Boss" continues to set the rules, ensuring that the interests of the Cuban regime in Venezuela remain protected and expanded.