Sandro Castro, grandson of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, sparked controversy once again on social media after posting a video on Instagram that many interpreted as a veiled endorsement of cocaine use.
In the reel, shared from a luxurious kitchen, the grandson engages in a dialogue with Magnolia - his new pet inspired by Thing (a character from 'The Addams Family') - in which he reprimands her for her lack of control.
“You're going downhill without brakes!” Sandro tells the tattooed hand that now accompanies him in his antics as an influencer, while Magnolia appears next to a pile of white powder on a kitchen counter where a rolled-up dollar can also be seen, elements commonly associated with the preparation and consumption of drugs.
"Oh girl, good morning to make a little lunch. But Magnolia… no, what you’re doing is beyond words; you’re running wild! What are you doing all covered in dust and dirt? Look, no matter what happens, I’m going to grab you and throw you off the balcony. Let me wash you up, girl. Come on, there’s no water here! I was going to cook you some croquettes with flour, with so much love…,” says Sandro before starting the “news” segment of his character Vampirach.
The blend of comedic discourse and the staging —where the white powder on a wooden table stands out— sparked outrage among several users, who accused him of trivializing drug consumption in a country battered by economic and social crises, and at a time when the United States is deploying an unprecedented military force in the Caribbean to combat the Cartel of the Suns and the drug trafficking coming from Venezuela.
Although he did not make an explicit mention of cocaine, the images and the editing of the reel were interpreted as a “subliminal message” that reinforces the controversy surrounding his figure and the signals he is sending to the leadership of the so-called "continuity" of Miguel Díaz-Canel, as well as the jabs he has taken at the regime's ally, Nicolás Maduro, who was accused by the Trump administration of leading the Cartel of the Suns and other criminal organizations labeled as terrorist by Washington.
The video was posted shortly after the arrest in the United States of the alleged former major of Cuba’s Ministry of Interior (MININT), Rogelio Enrique Bolufé Izquierdo, accused of possession of cocaine. His son, Carlos Rogelio Bolufé García, a close friend of Sandro, was the organizer of the controversial birthday party for the influencer and businessman at his bar EFE, held during a massive blackout.
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