Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and one of the so-called "Five Heroes" of the Cuban regime, hinted this Tuesday at the possibility of taking legal action against those who accuse him of owning the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise "El Mercadito." This remark marks a new episode in the ongoing exchange he has had for several days with Cuban content creator Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, also known as Anna Bensi.
In a Facebook post, Hernández wrote: "Communism 'is so bad' that anyone gets paid (in dollars!) to publish any lie, without providing any proof, and without worrying about a legal lawsuit...", accompanied by the hashtags #Cuba, #CDRCuba, and #CubaNoSeRinde.
The message was accompanied by an image featuring the logo of "El Mercadito" and the phrase: "Please, cyber-mercenaries, give the address of the market that is 'mine'... let's see if I can stop by today!", along with several emojis.
The publication came days after Anna Bensi publicly questioned the leader's alleged connection to that private business, highlighting what she sees as a contradiction between his political rhetoric and the purported ownership of a company.
The content creator responded a few hours later from her account on X.
Gerardo, the one with the five spies, says that now anyone can get paid in dollars for telling lies. Are those liars among us? Because, as far as I know, the liars who charge in dollars are all of them. The leaders. The same ones who accuse but are the ones who dollarized the country. "The Revolution of the few and for the good of the few," he wrote.
Bensi concluded his message with the hashtags #IWishIWasPaid, #DownWithTheCastristDictatorship, and #Freedom.
The exchange began on June 28, when Hernández posted a meme suggesting that those who criticize communism receive payments for doing so, alongside an image related to the activist.
The next day, Bensi responded on Facebook questioning the leader's standard of living and once again referring to "El Mercadito".
"Would the spy get that with what they're paid to say that communism is good? I hope not... because their lifestyle is quite capitalist," he wrote.
He also sarcastically remarked about the possibility of working in "one of his small and medium enterprises" and added, "I wish I were paid for speaking the truth. However, many are paid for telling lies. Double standards."
It is not the first time that Hernández has faced scrutiny regarding his lifestyle. In December 2021, he was criticized after appearing with a Specialized bicycle worth several thousand dollars, and in January 2026, he sparked controversy again for a photograph in which he wore a Rolex watch while holding a Soviet-made machine gun.
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