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A group of retired officers from the Peruvian Navy demanded the immediate expulsion of the Cuban ambassador in Lima, Carlos Rafael Zamora Rodríguez, known as “El Gallo”, whom they accuse of being an intelligence operative from Havana rather than a legitimate diplomat.
The complaint, released in a public letter by the Unión Naval group and supported by the Congressman of Honor and Democracy, José Cueto, warns that the presence of the diplomat poses a danger to national security.
According to the newspaper Perú21, the former sailors claim that Zamora and his wife were trained in the mechanisms of the former Soviet KGB and that their true mission in the Andean country would be to infiltrate, recruit, and incite in favor of radical leftist movements in Latin America.
The statement recalls that the Cuban regime maintains close ties with Chavismo in Venezuela and Sandinismo in Nicaragua, in addition to being involved in episodes of political turmoil in countries such as Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia.
The distrust towards Zamora Rodríguez is not new. During the brief government of Pedro Castillo, the then Minister of the Interior, Willy Huerta, held a meeting with the Cuban ambassador that was never recorded on the Transparency portal.
Similarly, the former officials questioned the arrival in the country of 85 Cuban doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that "it is unknown what they did or if they still remain in Peru."
Perú21 has been documenting since 2021 the proximity of Zamora to leaders of the Perú Libre party and his role in political meetings of the local left. The Naval Union collects these warnings and calls on the government of Dina Boluarte to reduce diplomatic relations with Cuba to a strictly consular level, as is the case with Venezuela.
A diplomat under scrutiny
The figure of Zamora Rodríguez has been surrounded by controversy since his appointment as ambassador in Lima in December 2021. His record includes missions in Ecuador, Panama, Brazil, El Salvador, and Bolivia, where in 2019 he allegedly operated alongside Evo Morales during the post-electoral crisis.
Experts and regional media describe him as an agent of Cuba's Intelligence Directorate with a record marked by alleged interference and political destabilization efforts.
Analysts cited by CiberCuba warned from the outset that Havana has a consolidated intelligence network in Peru, capable of infiltrating the military, parliament, and the media.
“For the safety and peace of our country, especially in light of the 2026 elections, we urge Mr. Carlos Zamora and his wife to leave Peru immediately,” concludes the letter from the former sailors, as reported by Perú21.
The demand once again puts tension on the relations between Lima and Havana, and revives a fundamental question that resonates in Latin America: is the Cuban embassy just a diplomatic bridge or also a covert intelligence center?
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