No more business in Florida? US arrests a direct relative of the Cuban military leadership in Miami

The U.S. government conducted a forceful national security operation in Florida. Federal immigration agencies arrested Adys Lastres Morera, a Cuban citizen legally residing in U.S. territory.

The arrest took place immediately after Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a formal determination of deportability. The measure nips in the bud the immigration privileges of people directly linked to Havana's military nomenklatura.

Through a statement on X, Secretary Rubio confirmed the capture and detailed the profile of the person involved. Adys Lastres Morera is the blood sister of Brigadier General Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, current executive president of GAESA.

This financial conglomerate, under the strict control of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), manages the island's main currencies. According to the head of U.S. diplomacy, the detained woman was involved in real estate in Florida while collaborating with the networks of the communist regime.

A threat to national security interests

The arrest was made by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), through its Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division. An official statement issued by John Condon, HSI's acting executive associate director, validated the detention's legality. The document ratifies that Lastres Morera's lawful permanent resident status was revoked under the country's current laws.

According to the terms of the Department of State's resolution, the Cuban citizen's presence on U.S. soil posed a risk. Her presence generated potentially serious adverse consequences for foreign policy and compromised Washington's national interests.

This was due to her direct connections to the high-ranking officials who managed the dictatorship's financial network.

"HSI's detention of Lastres Morera sends a powerful message that this administration can take timely action to defend our homeland, safeguard our foreign policy interests and enforce our nation's laws," Condon asserted in the institutional report.

The action sets a precedent of zero tolerance for relatives of the communist elite who seek to enjoy freedoms in the United States.

The link to the dictatorship's economic emporium

The background to this arrest points to the heart of de facto power in Cuba. The detainee's sister, General Ania Lastres Morera, 64, is considered one of the most influential figures in Castroism.

After the 2022 death of General Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja, Raul Castro's son-in-law, she assumed the presidency of GAESA. This military holding company monopolizes between 40% and 70% of Cuba's formal economy, handling tourism, remittances and banking on the island.

General Lastres Morera has a long career within the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

In addition to leading the military enterprises, she is a deputy in the National Assembly and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Intelligence agencies in Washington maintain that from her office, international assistance funds are diverted to support the repressive apparatus of the State.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that U.S. borders will not serve as a refuge or financial platform for collaborators of totalitarian regimes.

"There will be no place on Earth, much less in our country, where foreign nationals who threaten our national security can live in luxury," the federal official stated. With this measure, the White House increases the siege on the assets of the Cuban hierarchy abroad.