The Cuban security apparatus surrounding Nicolás Maduro, which for years served as his most reliable shield, failed to prevent his capture during the U.S. military operation that resulted in his removal from Venezuela.
The operation, carried out by the elite unit Delta Force with the support of the CIA, has highlighted the fragility of the Cuban-Venezuelan protection system, a central element of chavista power since the death of Hugo Chávez.
During the last decade, Havana controlled the intelligence, counterintelligence, and presidential security of Caracas. According to reports from international media, Maduro had reinforced his escort with dozens of Cuban bodyguards, selected by the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (MININT) and the Department of State Security (DSE). These agents were responsible not only for his physical protection but also for internal espionage on Venezuelan officials themselves.
The Venezuelan ruler, according to intelligence sources cited by Axios and The New York Times, feared being killed by his own Cuban advisors if he were to leave power, due to the sensitive information he held regarding financial agreements, drug trafficking networks, and joint intelligence operations between Caracas and Havana.
“Cuba was his guardian, but also his jailer”, warned CiberCuba weeks before his downfall.
Maduro frequently changed his residence, phone, and security team. He even ordered the incorporation of more officials from the Cuban G2 into the Venezuelan army to detect possible internal betrayals. However, that absolute dependence on Havana became his Achilles' heel.
This Saturday, a report from The New York Times, authored by Julián E. Barnes, revealed that the CIA had an undercover source within Maduro's government that provided accurate information about his whereabouts.
The U.S. intelligence agency reportedly used a network of Venezuelan informants—possibly one within the Cuban ring—and a fleet of stealth drones to track their movements before the operation.
This leak suggests that the Cuban security perimeter was breached from within, a possibility that analysts interpret as a sign of the wear and tensions between both regimes.
So far, the fate of the Cuban agents stationed at the Miraflores Palace and other Venezuelan government agencies remains unknown.
Military sources in Caracas claim that several members of the presidential team were neutralized or fled during the bombings at Fuerte Tiuna and La Carlota, while others may have been captured by U.S. forces.
No Cuban or Venezuelan authority has confirmed the situation of the bodyguards.
The collapse of the Cuban security apparatus in Caracas also represents a direct blow to Havana, which loses not only its main political ally but also its source of oil and funding in the region.
The fall of Maduro completely reconfigures the geopolitical axis of the Caribbean and leaves Castrism without its most important economic support since 2000.
For analysts, Maduro's capture marks the end of a model of cooperation based on political control and shared intelligence.
Consulted analysts agree that the Cuban network that was protecting him could have ultimately become the gateway to his capture. The regime, they assert, collapsed under the weight of its own fear and the internal betrayal it dreaded so much.
Filed under:
