Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo," is a prominent member of the Castro elite in Cuba, the grandson of former leader Raúl Castro and the son of Débora Castro Espín and the late General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, who headed the powerful military conglomerate GAESA that controls a large portion of the Cuban economy, and in whose social and economic environment Rodríguez Castro grew up.
In recent years, he has gained notoriety not only for his privileges, luxurious lifestyle, and frequent private trips to Panama and other countries, contrasting with the social crisis on the island, but also for his role as a high-ranking state security official and personal bodyguard of Raúl Castro. Recent reports indicate that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has maintained discreet contacts with Rodríguez Castro as part of unofficial dialogues aimed at exploring potential political changes in Cuba outside the official channels of the Díaz-Canel regime, drawing international media attention. This profile positions him as a figure of power directly linked to the core of the Castro family and the economic and political influence networks of Castroism, with implications both within and outside the island.
