Cuban regime hastens to deny the statements of ‘El Pollo’ Carvajal on the role of Havana in the creation of the Cartel de Los Soles in order to flood the US with cocaine
14ymedio, Havana, December 4, 2025 — The Cuban government, aware of its current vulnerability, is reacting with unusual speed. Hours after the letter of Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal — former head of Venezuelan intelligence — was published, in which he accuses the Chavista regime and Cuba of having designed a drug trafficking strategy against the US, Havana convened a press conference to clarify that “Cuba is not a producer of drugs or a drug transit country.”
Officials from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice met on Thursday at the International Press Center. They offered an image of control, but the timing of the appearance exposed the political urgency. Carvajal’s letter, addressed to Donald Trump, details two decades of narco-terrorist operations, cooperation with guerrillas, electoral manipulation and a close relationship with the Cuban intelligence services. In one of his most forceful statements, the former Venezuelan general claims that “this plan was suggested by the Cuban regime to Chávez in the mid-2000s,” referring to the use of drugs as a geopolitical weapon.
The presence of Justice Minister Oscar Silvera Martínez, First Colonel Ibey Carballo, and Colonel Juan Carlos Poey underscored the exceptional nature of the press conference. Havana generally avoids giving public explanations about internal security, but this time the complex domestic crisis, as well as the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean, are accelerating the actions of the oldest dictatorship in the Western Hemisphere.
Poey, head of the Interior’s anti-drug agency, described the US military presence in the area as “a serious threat to Cuba’s security and sovereignty,” and he added an argument that tried to turn the tables: “The synthetic drugs circulating today in Cuba come mostly from the United States.”
Carvajal says that Cuban intelligence showed him “their networks inside US naval bases and thousands of spies sent to the US over decades”
To soften the tone, Carballo, second-in-command of the Border Guard Troops, emphasized cooperation with Washington: “We exchanged real-time information with the US Coast Guard. We gave them position, heading and characteristics of the drug boats.”
Carvajal’s letter, addressed to Trump from an American jail, is not limited to describing crimes. It situates Cuba directly as a key actor in the construction of the so-called Cartel de los Soles, affirms that Cuba provided strategic advice, and states that Cuban intelligence showed him “its networks inside US naval bases and thousands of spies sent to the US over decades.”
It also states that criminal groups such as the Tren de Aragua were formed “on the orders of Chávez and then Maduro, with coordinated support from the Ministry of the Interior and security forces,” and that some of these operatives were sent abroad. Although Cuba is not mentioned as a participant in these gangs, it does appear as an adviser and ally of the structure that created them.
The publication of the text coincides with an increase in US military pressure in the Caribbean. Washington has directly linked Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro with drug trafficking and offered a valuable reward for his capture. US military presence near Venezuela has been considerably strengthened, with deadly attacks on drug traffickers’ boats, threats to extend them on land and the imposition of a total closure of Venezuelan airspace. In this context, any reference to Cuba’s role acquires additional weight.
At the conference, the Minister of the Interior reported that more than two tons of drugs have been “secured” in Cuba so far this year, although without detailing the routes, networks or those responsible. Authorities acknowledge an increase in consumption, especially among young people, but do not publish complete statistics. The internal response remains focused on speedy trials, long sentences and exemplary punishments.
Carvajal mentions the use of armed groups such as FARC, ELN and Hezbollah in Lebanon in coordinated operations with Caracas and Havana, as well as the export of manipulable electoral technology to other countries through the company Smartmatic
Silvera insisted that the Cuban position is “preventive” and allows the island “to not be a producer or transit country.” However, he did not explain why the Government had now decided to make a public statement on the subject, nor did he directly mention Carvajal’s allegations.
The speed with which the conference was organized, the presence of high-ranking officials and the emphasis on cooperation with the US suggest that the Government’s priority was not to inform the Cuban public, but to respond to the international impact of the testimony of the former head of Chavista intelligence.
Carvajal not only points to Havana as an advisor of the cartel run by the Venezuelan leadership, but also claims that diplomats and North American officials have collaborated with Caracas and that Russia set up a listening post on the Venezuelan island of La Orchila with the knowledge of Cuba. These allegations extend the case far beyond drug trafficking and place Cuba within a network of operations that, if confirmed, would have military, diplomatic and national security implications for Washington.
The document also mentions the use of armed groups such as the FARC, the ELN and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in coordinated operations with Caracas and Havana, as well as the export of manipulable electoral technology to other countries — including the US — through the company Smartmatic. Although the official conference avoided addressing any of these points, the coincidence with the accusations underlines the gravity of the moment.
The accusation that Cuba is directly related to an organization officially classified as terrorist places the regime in a very delicate position, just when tension is growing in the Caribbean and when Havana depends on any economic relief, financial or migratory to try and get out of the worst economic crisis since 1959.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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