US arrests sister of powerful Cuban official over alleged ties to communist regime
US Arrests Cuban National Linked to Military‑Run Conglomerate in Miami
Miami, Fla. – U.S. authorities detained Adys Lastres Morera, a Cuban national who lived in Florida and was managing real‑estate assets, after the State Department revoked her lawful permanent‑resident status. The arrest, carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Miami, was announced on Thursday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a post on the X social‑media platform.
Lastres Morera is the older sister of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, who has been sanctioned earlier this month for her role as executive president of GAESA. The conglomerate, described by U.S. officials as a sprawling network of military‑run businesses in Cuba, is alleged to have siphoned millions of dollars in aid intended for the Cuban population. Rubio said 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 in hidden overseas bank accounts.”
In his X statement, Rubio added that “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.”
The revocation of Lastres Morera’s permanent‑resident status was carried out at Rubio’s discretion. She entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, according to Reuters reports. The Secretary confirmed that the arrest followed the State Department’s termination of her status, saying: “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.”
Lastres Morera’s alleged ties to the Cuban regime stem from her involvement in managing real‑estate holdings while residing in Florida. Officials said she aided Havana’s communist government, though specific details of her activities are not publicly disclosed. The arrest is part of a broader U.S. strategy to target individuals and entities deemed to support the Cuban government’s military and economic apparatus.
Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, the sister arrested in connection with GAESA, has faced sanctions for her executive leadership role within the conglomerate. U.S. officials have characterized GAESA as diverting resources away from basic public needs, citing widespread blackouts, shortages of food, fuel, and medicine on the island. Rubio highlighted that the wealth amassed by GAESA has not been used to address these shortages but instead to fund the “lavish lifestyles” of the Castro‑era elite.
The U.S. has long maintained a hard‑line stance on Cuba, imposing a range of sanctions and restrictions on Cuban officials, companies, and individuals linked to the regime. The recent arrests and sanctions reflect a continued effort to pressure Havana to alter its policies and to alleviate the humanitarian crisis faced by the Cuban people.
ICE officials in Miami did not comment on the details of the arrest beyond confirming that the detainee was taken into custody. The U.S. State Department has not yet announced further proceedings against Lastres Morera. The case remains a part of the ongoing U.S. campaign to clamp down on those perceived to support the Cuban government’s military and economic structure.
