US Detains Sister of Influential Cuban Official for Alleged Communist Regime Connections

The United States has detained the sister of the president of GAESA, a vast network of military-operated businesses in Cuba, over her suspected connections to the communist government.

GAESA has been accused of misappropriating millions of dollars in aid intended for the Cuban populace, allegedly acting under the direction of the government, according to a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday via X.

Adys Lastres Morera was apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the State Department rescinded her lawful permanent resident status, as reported by Rubio.

Authorities claim that Morera, who was residing in Florida and managing real estate assets, supported the communist regime in Havana.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters in a departure lounge at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, on Feb. 25, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Reuters)

Her status termination was carried out at Rubio’s discretion. Morera entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, Reuters reported. 

“Today, Adys Lastres Morera, a Cuban national with ties to the communist regime in Havana, was arrested following the Department of State’s termination of her lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, at my direction,” Rubio said.

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Morera is the older sister of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, who was sanctioned earlier this month for her role as executive president of GAESA.  

GAESA has been described by officials as an exploitative communist entity that siphons resources from the Cuban population.

The State Department announced Thursday that the department has stripped the residency status of Adys Lastres Morera. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)

“While the Cuban people suffer from the collapse of Cuba’s non-functioning communist economy, GAESA functions to allow a small circle of regime elites to plunder all the remaining resources of the island, squirreling away as much as $20 billion in illicit funds away in hidden overseas bank accounts,” Rubio said. 

He added that Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, as a senior executive, is responsible for managing international assets allegedly used to fund the “lavish lifestyles” of the Castro-era elite, as well as supporting efforts tied to broader ideological influence abroad.

A Cuban flag is seen at a U.S. embassy in Havana. (AP)

Rubio also pointed to worsening conditions inside Cuba, including widespread blackouts and severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, arguing that GAESA is diverting resources away from basic needs under the communist system.

“GAESA’s ill-gotten riches are not spent on repairing the collapsing power grid, stocking empty pharmacies, feeding hungry families, or providing for the most basic and essential needs of the Cuban people. Instead, they are used to enrich Havana’s elites and underwrite their ongoing campaign of espionage, subversion, and revolutionary militancy against the free peoples of this hemisphere,” he said.