{"id":806,"date":"2026-05-30T11:38:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=806"},"modified":"2026-05-30T11:38:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:38:27","slug":"raul-castros-six-fingered-jet-setting-grandson-emerges-from-shadows-in-us-cuba-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=806","title":{"rendered":"Raul Castro’s six-fingered, jet-setting grandson emerges from shadows in US-Cuba talks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

His grandfather ruled Cuba with an iron fist, but now top US officials have identified the shadowy Castro relative known as \u201cThe Crab\u201d \u2014 for his six-fingered hand \u2014 as their go-to guy in critical negotiations.<\/p>\n

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Ra\u00fal Guillermo Rodriguez Castro is the influential eldest grandson of ex-dictator and 94-year-old Raul Castro, who was indicted for murder in Miami on May 23 in connection with the 1996 shoot-down of two planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue.<\/p>\n

The younger Castro oversees his grandfather\u2019s security, which grants him sway in a government where experts say Raul Castro still has considerable authority despite stepping back as president in 2018 and relinquishing official duties in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever Raul appears in public, he is right over his shoulder \u2013 right there,\u201d said American University Latin America expert Dr. William LeoGrande.<\/p>\n

The younger Castro, called Raulito, is a colonel in Cuba\u2019s Interior ministry. He was present when CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Havana to meet with Cuban officials, including Interior Minister L\u00e1zaro \u00c1lvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A CIA statement after the Ratcliffe meeting mentioned Castro\u2019s name first \u2013 even though he didn\u2019t have the leading official role. It said the Director went \u201cto personally deliver President Trump\u2019s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if\u00a0Cuba\u00a0makes fundamental changes.\u201d <\/p>\n

The first approach came in February at an annual conference on the island of Saint Kitts, where Raulito Castro met with advisors to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Miami Herald reported.<\/p>\n

Raulito Castro\u2019s late father Luis Alberto Rodr\u00edguez L\u00f3pez-Calleja built the military conglomerate Grupo de Administraci\u00f3n Empresarial\u00a0(GAESA), which the Trump administration says profits off the backs of the Cuban people and accounts for 70% of the country\u2019s hard currency. His mom is Debora Castro Esp\u00edn, Raul\u2019s eldest daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cCuba is controlled by GAESA,\u201d Rubio said in a Spanish-language video directed to the Cuban people Wednesday. He called it a \u201cstate within a state that is accountable to no one\u201d and \u201choards the profits of its businesses for the benefit of a small elite.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Known as \u201cEl Cangrejo\u201d \u2014 the \u201ccrab\u201d nickname he appears to embrace \u2014 Raulito Castro, whose grand uncle is late dictator Fidel Castro, has six fingers on one of his hands due to a congenital deformity.<\/p>\n

He also likes the the good life \u2014 posting on social media on boats, and jetting to Panama to check on Cuban businesses operating overseas. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201cnot what you would call a monk\u2019s existence.\u00a0 He apparently likes to live high \u2014 not as high as cousin Sandro, grandson of Fidel,\u201d said LeoGrande, referencing the very online Castro descendant known for flaunting his wealth and cigar habit online.<\/p>\n

Raulito Castro emerged as a key point of contact in talks where the US would swap economic engagement for a crackdown on helping US adversaries.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration needs insiders it can work with, fearing a potential collapse or \u201cfailed state\u201d situation off US shores.<\/p>\n

Talks have been slow-going, and Cuban government officials have said they fear a US invasion, as a blockade imposed after the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has cut off the island\u2019s supply of oil.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot have these thieves running that island any longer, because we know that they have given a platform to our enemies for years,\u201d fumed Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) on the day of Raul Castro\u2019s indictment. She told reporters the move was \u201csending a very clear message to [the elder] Raul: Look at Maduro. If you do not want to wind up where he\u2019s at, then go.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ra\u00fal Guillermo Rodriguez Castro is the influential grandson of ex-Cuban dictator Raul Castro, who was indicted for murder in Miami on May 23 in connection with the 1996 shoot-down of two planes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nRaul Castro's six-fingered, jet-setting grandson emerges from shadows in US-Cuba talks - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=806\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Raul Castro's six-fingered, jet-setting grandson emerges from shadows in US-Cuba talks - 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