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Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as “El Cangrejo” and grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, made at least 25 flights to Panama between 2024 and 2025 on a private jet linked to the Cuban military leadership.
According to documents obtained by Martí Noticias in collaboration with the Panamanian newspaper La Prensa and the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, the records pertain to an aircraft Dassault Falcon 900 EX, whose registration number was changed from a Venezuelan identification to one from San Marino, to hinder international tracking, according to investigative journalism sources.
Rodríguez Castro, son of the late General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja —former head of the military conglomerate GAESA— and Débora Castro Espín, the eldest daughter of Raúl Castro, has been identified at official events as part of the personal escort team for his grandfather, the man who is believed to still hold real power in Cuba.
Martí Noticias gained access to a photograph of a diplomatic passport with which Rodríguez Castro makes his travels, granting him immunity and facilitating his passage through borders without strict controls.
"He travels with diplomatic passports because this allows him to move anywhere with protection. He has immunity, which complicates the knowledge of his movements or activities abroad", explained to that media Luis Domínguez, researcher at the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba.
Domínguez added that this type of document grants legal privileges and preferential access at airports and international crossings, limiting the possibility of officially recording their entries and exits.
The flight manifests identify among Rodríguez Castro's companions high-ranking officials of the GAESA conglomerate, including Ania Guillermina Lastres Moreras, president of GAESA.
Also to Ismael Rodríguez Díaz, identified as her husband; and Javier Michel Sosa Paneque and other members of her military assistance team.
Domínguez also confirmed the presence of Vilmita Rodríguez Castro, sister of “Cangrejo”, on some flights. “Until now, these leaders thought they were untouchable because they were able to hide information. That is no longer going to happen,” stated the investigator.
The analyzed itineraries include routes between Havana and Panama City, with stops or extensions to Caracas and other destinations in the region.
According to Domínguez, the trips would be related to business activities, acquisitions, and investments.
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