Mexico Addresses Allegations Tied to 'El Cangrejo' and Cuban Mafia in Quintana Roo

On Tuesday, Mexico's Security Cabinet released an official statement denying possession of any "information or its own evidence" regarding a New York Times report linking Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" and grandson of Raúl Castro, to the so-called "Cuban Mafia of Quintana Roo."

The joint statement, endorsed by the Secretariat of National Defense, the Secretariat of the Navy, the Attorney General's Office, the National Guard, and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, was made public shortly after the American newspaper published its investigation on the international criminal network.

The official document declares that the Mexican government lacks any data "concerning the allegations attributed in that news article, nor about alleged connections between criminal organizations and foreign officials, or their relatives."

The mention of "relatives" of foreign officials is the only implicit reference to "El Cangrejo"—grandson of the former Cuban leader—without explicitly naming him.

The statement concludes with a reaffirmation of principles: "The Government of Mexico reiterates its commitment to international cooperation to combat organized crime and human trafficking."

The Mexican government's evasive response contrasts sharply with the severity of the Times' revelations. According to the New York Times investigation, "El Cangrejo" was part of a network that operated for over a decade across Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and South Florida, engaging in Cuban migrant smuggling, boat theft, extortion, and torture.

At least 25 individuals lost their lives during the journeys organized by the group, and Operation Sisyphus—a joint investigation by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security—resulted in at least 21 convictions.

One convict, José Miguel González Vidal, serving a 25-year sentence, testified to U.S. authorities that El Cangrejo received bribes including a boat, a Rolex watch, a motorcycle, and luxury clothing. Another convict, Reynaldo Crespo Márquez, recounted a meeting where they discussed sending a vessel to Cuba.

The Cuban regime dismissed the accusations. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío labeled them as "slander" and asserted that "there is no link to the Cuban government."

The Mexican government's elusive tone is notable given the brutal Cuban mafia's influence in Quintana Roo and the close political alignment between the Morena government and the Havana regime.

In 2025, Mexico shipped 17.25 million barrels of oil and over 245 million liters of derivative fuels to Cuba. That same year, Morena and the Communist Party of Cuba signed a political cooperation agreement in Havana, overseen by Miguel Díaz-Canel.

In 2026, under pressure from the Trump administration, Mexico halted crude shipments but sent at least five ships with over 3,100 tons of humanitarian aid.

"El Cangrejo," a colonel in Cuba's Ministry of the Interior and head of the Directorate General of Personal Security since 2016, is not on any U.S. sanctions lists, which analysts see as a sign that Washington views him as an informal negotiation channel.

In May 2026, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba and met with Rodríguez Castro alongside Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and intelligence chief Ramón Romero Curbelo.

"Coincidentally," in April 2026, Mexican authorities arrested Remigio Valdez-Lao, 59, identified as a key financier of the group, who is facing extradition to the United States.