Mexico Security Cabinet Says It Has No Information on ‘Cuban Mafia of Quintana Roo’

Mexico City — Mexico’s security cabinet says it has no information about a criminal group known as the “Cuban Mafia of Quintana Roo,” following a New York Times report that linked Raúl Castro’s grandson to a people-smuggling network.

The Times identified Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, nicknamed “El Cangrejo,” as a figure in an alleged Cuban organization operating in Mexico that traffics people. In a statement on social media, the security cabinet said: “We have no information or evidence of our own regarding the allegations in that news report, nor about the alleged links between criminal organizations and foreign officials or their relatives.”

The Mexican government reaffirmed its commitment to international cooperation against organized crime and human trafficking.

What the Report Says

According to judicial documents reviewed by the newspaper, Rodríguez Castro allegedly used his influence in Cuban power circles to protect a large-scale smuggling operation that moved people out of Cuba and brought illicit goods into the country. Specifically, Fidel Castro’s grand-nephew is said to have facilitated the entry into Cuba of goods purchased with stolen credit cards, receiving luxury items as bribes and allowing wanted criminals to move freely, according to sources interviewed by the Times.

The network, known as La Mafia Cubana de Quintana Roo because it operated in that Mexican state, was investigated by U.S. federal authorities in a 2020 case that resulted in prison sentences of several decades for at least 21 people.

The Times profile describes Rodríguez Castro as a key figure in U.S.-Cuba dialogue and a possible future leader of Cuba. He has not been charged, and it is unclear whether he is under active investigation, the newspaper said. His name was mentioned to U.S. prosecutors by at least two members of the criminal organization, who described him as a collaborator and said he facilitated the safe passage of members to and from Cuba.

The Times also reported that the network illegally moved migrants including professional baseball players such as shortstop Adeiny Hechavarría and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig.