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The United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned nine high-ranking officials of the Cuban regime on Monday and the Cuban Intelligence Directorate (DGI/G2), in the second wave of measures under Executive Order 14404 signed by Donald Trump on May 1, 2026.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that «additional sanctions are expected in the coming days and weeks» and labeled those appointed as responsible «for the suffering of the Cuban people, the failure of the Cuban economy, and the exploitation of Cuba for foreign intelligence, military, and terrorism operations.»
Below is a profile of each of those sanctioned.
Roberto Morales Ojeda
Roberto Morales Ojeda, born on June 15, 1967, in Cienfuegos, is the Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and a member of the Political Bureau, one of the positions with the greatest real power in the structure of the regime.
Just three days before being sanctioned, he had publicly boasted about the "transparency" of the Cuban government following the revelation of a meeting between the CIA and the MININT in Havana.
Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández
Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández, born on February 26, 1944, in Jovellanos, Matanzas, is the President of the National Assembly of People's Power, a position he has held since April 2018, and for which he was reelected in October 2019.
A deputy since 1981, he is one of the longest-serving figures in the Cuban nomenclature.
Mayra Arevich Marín
Mayra Arevich Marín, born in 1966 in Havana, has been the Minister of Communications since April 2021 and was previously the executive president of ETECSA, the state telecommunications company.
In May 2025, she defended the increase in ETECSA's rates claiming that they were "necessary for the sustainability of the telecommunications infrastructure."
Vicente De la O Levy
Vicente De la O Levy, born on April 25, 1962, has been the Minister of Energy and Mines since October 17, 2022.
Last Wednesday, the minister publicly acknowledged that Cuba had no reserves of fuel oil or diesel for electricity generation, although he added, "We know there is discontent due to the blackouts."
Rosabel Gamón Verde
Rosabel Gamón Verde, born on February 9, 1973, in Havana, has been the Minister of Justice since late 2025, appointed through Agreement X-155 of the National Assembly.
Previously held the position of first deputy minister of the same ministry.
Joaquín Quintas Solá
Joaquín Quintas Solá, born in 1938 in Santiago de Cuba, is a General of the Army Corps and Vice Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR).
He is the oldest sanctioned individual in the group and participated in October 2024 in a military visit to Algeria as deputy minister of the FAR.
José Miguel Gómez del Vallín
José Miguel Gómez del Vallín, born on August 6, 1960, in Las Tunas, is a Major General and Head of Military Counterintelligence at the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).
He has a degree in Law, completed an internationalist mission in Angola, and is a member of the Central Committee of the PCC.
Eugenio Armando Rabilero Aguilera
Eugenio Armando Rabilero Aguilera, born on November 6, 1964, is a Major General and Chief of the Eastern Army of Cuba, one of the three major territorial commands of the FAR.
Raúl Villar Kessell
Raúl Villar Kessell, born on August 4, 1965, in Bahía Honda, Artemisa, is a Major General and the Chief of the Central Army. He was promoted to this position in November 2024 and is a member of the Central Committee of the PCC. He studied at military schools in China.
In addition to the nine individuals, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the DGI/G2 as a blocked entity and updated prior sanctions against MININT and the National Revolutionary Police to include them under the CUBA-EO14404 program, along with their executives Oscar Alejandro Callejas Valcarce and Eddy Manuel Sierra Arias.
This second wave occurs less than two weeks after the first sanctions under EO 14404 targeted GAESA and resulted in major international shipping companies halting operations to Cuba and the Canadian mining company Sherritt International suspending its activities on the island.
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