Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, nicknamed "El Cangrejo," is the son of Débora Castro Espín (the eldest daughter of Raúl Castro) and the late Major General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, who was the president of the military conglomerate GAESA – a holding company that controls a large part of the Cuban economy – and passed away on July 1, 2022.
Therefore, Raúl Guillermo comes from one of the most privileged families of the regime: GAESA currently controls almost 90% of retail trade in Cuba and contributes between 30% and 40% of the national economy.
This familial and economic network positions Rodríguez Castro in the inner circle of power, with direct access to state and financial resources.
Although he is still relatively young, he is a high-ranking official in state security. He was appointed in 2016 as Chief of the General Directorate of Personal Security (DGSP) by Raúl Castro, and at 41 years old, he holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Ministry of Interior (MININT).
In his role, he is responsible for protecting former President Castro and overseeing his security, thereby controlling access to him.
Life of luxury and privileges
In contrast to the reality of hardship experienced by most Cubans, "El Cangrejo" operates in a world of luxury.
Despite the social crisis on the island, Raúl Guillermo leads an opulent lifestyle and is practically above the law. He has been spotted at luxury weddings, gourmet banquets, and yachting excursions as a VIP guest, showcasing an impunity that is only possible for the ruling elite.
Within Cuba, Rodríguez Castro "lets loose" at musical entertainment events and enjoys the same privileges that the historical leaders of the regime once had, as if the island were "the inheritance received from his ancestors."
While powerful families like theirs enjoy enormous privileges—private travel, protected accounts, and access to dollars—millions of Cubans suffer from blackouts, food shortages, and extreme poverty.
This double standard has been openly criticized: even the U.S. State Department noted that "while millions suffer from blackouts, hunger, and extreme poverty, the elite enjoy frequent travel and luxury."
"The life of luxury" by "El Cangrejo" includes extravagant celebrations and remarkable friendships.
His environment is intertwined with figures from popular culture, both within and outside of Cuba. For instance, in 2017 he featured prominently in several videos where he dances in Varadero alongside the musical duo Gente de Zona, which is very popular among the Cuban exile community.
These connections with media artists and occasional "celebrity tours" are unusual for a high-ranking official; they illustrate how the young man has mingled with the artistic elite and "enjoys luxuries as if Cuba were his inheritance."
Similarly, his public exposure is limited (he does not have personal accounts on social media), but the few images that exist show him surrounded by opulence and influential friends, both from the Castro regime and high-profile exiles.
Impunity for assaults
Perhaps the darkest episode associated with this character is the incident involving Yudelky Peña Fonseca. On April 23, 2022, Yudelky, a 19-year-old mother, suffered a serious accident in Mayarí, Holguín.
Various testimonies agree that the vehicle involved was driven by Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, while she was traveling in a horse-drawn carriage.
After the accident, Peña was left with debilitating consequences: the loss of part of a kidney, spleen, and liver, along with multiple surgeries, in addition to chronic pain that makes it difficult for him to walk and work.
Even so, the case was completely suppressed in the official media. Yudelky reported that she was promised assistance –including financial support– but none of it materialized.
She had to “sneak” her family into an abandoned state-owned house to avoid living on the street, and now she lives in extreme poverty with her children.
The Cuban authorities did not open a public investigation or punish anyone; Peña only received a minimal monthly pension (about 5,000 Cuban pesos, nearly nothing considering the inflation) and partial assistance that was not fully met.
This outrageous incident—perpetrated by a young member of the Castro elite—has outraged public opinion. On social media, many are labeling him a "rich kid" who enjoys impunity, highlighting the hypocrisy of the regime: the Castro heir can harm a citizen and not even face consequences.
Economic activities in Panama
In addition to its parties and antics, El Cangrejo has developed business ventures abroad, particularly in Panama. Investigative reports reveal that since 2024, it has been frequently traveling to Panama on private jets.
Records obtained by La Prensa indicate that he made at least 13 trips in 2024 and another 10 in 2025 (up to September), many of which coincided with key dates on the Panamanian political calendar.
These flights are conducted on luxury jets: a Learjet 55 (Venezuelan registration YV-3440, which had an accident in September 2025) and a modern Dassault Falcon 900EX Easy, as well as a Raytheon Hawker 800XP registered in Panama.
This flight pattern has been linked to entrepreneurs in the region. On the crashed Learjet was Panamanian businessman Ramon Carretero Napolitano, a close contractor to the governments of Venezuela and Cuba and head of the Caribbean Logistics Corporation.
Investigations suggest that Rodríguez Castro and Carretero shared private aircraft on their routes between Panama, Caracas, and Havana. In fact, a report indicates that the Hawker 800XP used by Rodríguez Castro (who made at least seven flights to Panama in 2024) is the same plane owned by the magnate Carretero.
During his trips to the isthmus, "El Cangrejo" has made purchases amounting to millions. For instance, between September 20 and 22, 2025, he was observed in the province of Chiriquí acquiring luxury goods paid for with "a considerable amount of money," according to Panamanian intelligence sources. He is also believed to have purchased properties in the province of Coclé.
These operations, along with the companies registered by GAESA (the military holding of his family) in Panama, highlight the economic infiltration of the Cuban regime in that country. While he travels in private jets and acquires assets, the majority of Cubans face severe shortages of food, medicine, and services.
Links with figures of power
The network of contacts for "El Cangrejo" includes figures close to Cuban power abroad. The most notable example is Jorge Javier Rodríguez Cabrera, a former Cuban foreign relations official and personal friend of Raúl Castro's grandson.
Cabrera gained notoriety when he was arrested by ICE in the U.S. in 2025; he is accused of owning Gran Azul LLC, a shipping, logistics, and tourism company focused on Cuba. Court records reveal that Rodríguez Cabrera quickly rose in the U.S., raising suspicions about financing linked to the regime. The press describes him as "closely tied to El Cangrejo."
In 2023, videos emerged showing Rodríguez Cabrera alongside Raúl Guillermo on a luxury yacht: they were enjoying lobsters, drinks, and music on board.
That image, in which both enjoy privileges forbidden to ordinary Cubans, reinforced theories that Rodríguez Cabrera acted as the financial arm of "El Cangrejo."
According to testimonies, Cabrera even handled personal requests for Castro's grandson (purchases and trips to the U.S. and Mexico). While a Nevada judge remains pending on his immigration case, he is already considered a key partner in the logistical operations of the Cuban elite south of the border.
Double diplomatic and legal discourse
The privileges of the Castro family also extend to the use of diplomatic passports. Leaked documents have confirmed that Raúl Guillermo made several trips to the U.S. (particularly to New York) between 2012 and 2016 using a Cuban diplomatic passport, despite the fact that for ordinary Cubans, traveling abroad is practically impossible.
In 2016, she even entered with her youngest son under that coverage and received support from the Cuban mission to the UN in New York. These stays were officially funded by American cultural foundations, pretending that the funds did not come from the Cuban government.
Analysts point out that this is a common pattern among the nomenclature: "The use of diplomatic passports by family members of the Castro regime is a systematic practice aimed at evading migration controls, facilitating selective mobility, and protecting their international economic interests."
Indeed, while Raúl Guillermo enjoyed frequent trips with diplomatic status, the official speeches of Castroism speak of sovereignty and blockades; reality demonstrates the opposite: the leadership uses diplomacy as a facade for their personal dealings. This official hypocrisy has been criticized even by foreign diplomats, who contrast the restrictions placed on the Cuban people with the privileges of the elite.
Her sister: properties and sanctions
Raúl Guillermo's sister, Vilma Rodríguez Castro, has also drawn attention for her real estate ventures and scandals. Like her brother, Vilma is part of the Castro elite.
Vilma moved to live in Panama, according to her profile on Airbnb, and has been spotted staying in expensive apartments in Geneva, Paris, and New York.
His real estate case stands out: between 2019 and 2020, he rented a luxury mansion in the Miramar neighborhood of Havana called Casa Vida Luxury Holidays through Airbnb, with rates of up to 650 dollars per night.
This use of state properties for personal gain caused a scandal. Following the dissemination of the case, the family changed the name of the owner on the platform (under the alias "Anabel") in an attempt to evade the negative publicity.
Additionally, that property was included on the U.S. Treasury's sanctions list in September 2020: it was prohibited for U.S. citizens to stay in properties owned by the Cuban government, specifically mentioning the house rented by Castro's granddaughter.
The regime formally protested this measure, but the message was clear: U.S. authorities view those assets as part of the corrupt elite. Vilma remains involved in the real estate business—for instance, she manages the Airbnb mansion—while her husband, the artist Arles del Río, received state favors such as the allocation of a large warehouse in Havana to set up his gallery.
In summary, the Castro family uses properties (luxury homes, foreign apartments, investments) as a source of personal income, which became evident when the U.S. government imposed direct sanctions on them for this.
The "Castro dynasty"
These events must be understood in the context of the weakening of the public image of Castroism.
The "Castro dynasty" has been eroded for years by internal corruption; the grandchildren of Fidel and Raúl exemplify the decay of that leadership.
While the official discourse continues to speak of "resistance" and "collectivism," their family members travel on private jets and expand shadowy businesses.
Many sources report that these multimillion-dollar trips and purchases are financed with state funds or from Maduro's drug government, as part of a parallel "empire" that exploits public resources.
The rise of figures like "Cangrejo" coincides with the opening of businesses in Cuba (hotels, restaurants, real estate) whose control is distributed among the military leadership.
In politics, this moment of family "strength" is reflected in recent decisions: for example, the elimination of the age limit to be president in Cuba (60 years), which surprisingly happens just as many are betting on a generational change – perhaps led by members of the Castro family.
In any case, the case of Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro highlights a reality that the regime prefers not to discuss: the existence of a parallel political-economic elite that enjoys de facto privileges.
While millions of Cubans have their basic services cut, this elite enjoys international trips, mansions, private businesses, and exemption from the law. The contrast is stark, and the documentary sources support this
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