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A private flight with a Venezuelan registration, linked to the Cuban power elite and in particular to Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro —the grandson of General Raúl Castro and known as "El Cangrejo"— has once again raised suspicions about the connections between Havana and Caracas amid escalating tensions in the Caribbean.
The Hawker 800XP2 executive jet, registered as YV654T, took off from Havana on Tuesday heading to Caracas and returned to the Cuban capital on Wednesday morning, according to records from the specialized portal Flightradar24.
The aircraft landed in the Cuban capital shortly after dawn, following a nighttime flight that deliberately avoided areas with a U.S. military presence in Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the western Caribbean.
The journalist Mario J. Pentón, who shared the flight path on the social media platform X, remarked: “The route taken is notable, carefully mapped to avoid areas with a U.S. military presence. Was this a routine visit or an urgent negotiation between Havana and the regime of Nicolás Maduro?”
The movement of this aircraft adds to a series of suspicious flights detected in recent weeks between Cuba, Venezuela, Panama, Curacao, and Mexico, featuring jets linked to GAESA, the business conglomerate of the Cuban military, and high-ranking officials from both regimes.
The "Crab" and the Secret Travels of the Cuban Elite
Previous investigations revealed that Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, head of his grandfather's personal security team and a key figure in the Cuban military structure, made at least 25 trips to Panama between 2024 and 2025.
The movements were carried out in a Dassault Falcon 900EX, linked to GAESA, with registration numbers alternating between Venezuela and San Marino to complicate tracking.
Raúl Castro's grandson is traveling on a diplomatic passport, which grants him immunity and prevents regular immigration control. Among his companions are identified executives from GAESA and close family members.
The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba reported that these trips would be related to financial and business operations in the region, including capital movements and asset acquisition under offshore structures.
Mexico and Venezuela, the points of connection
Recently, Mexican media outlets like Latinus and El Norte reported the presence of a Falcon 900EX linked to the Cuban elite stationed for several days in Nuevo León, managed by a Mexican military consortium.
This detail reinforces the hypothesis of a discreet air corridor between Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela, used by figures of the Cuban power for political and financial missions.
The reactivation of these flights coincides with a phase of high geopolitical tension. Operation Southern Lance, launched by Washington with the support of Colombia, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, aims to curb drug trafficking and the flow of money from sanctioned regimes.
Experts believe that the recent air movements of high-ranking Cuban officials may be related to the coordination of defense strategies and evasion of sanctions.
Privileges and opacity in the midst of chaos
While the Cuban power elite travels in luxury jets, the Island faces daily blackouts, chronic food shortages, a collapse of transportation, and a massive exodus.
The flights of the "Cangrejo" and other leaders starkly contrast with the poverty that afflicts millions of Cubans.
Neither the regime in Havana nor that in Caracas has issued any statement regarding these movements. But in a Caribbean increasingly monitored by Washington and its allies, every flight taken by the Cuban nomenclature seems to be another piece on the geopolitical chessboard where silence is as eloquent as the flight itself.
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