His grandfather ruled Cuba with an iron fist, but now top US officials have identified the shadowy Castro relative known as “The Crab” — for his six-fingered hand — as their go-to guy in critical negotiations.
Raúl 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.
The younger Castro oversees his grandfather’s 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.
“Whenever Raul appears in public, he is right over his shoulder – right there,” said American University Latin America expert Dr. William LeoGrande.
The younger Castro, called Raulito, is a colonel in Cuba’s Interior ministry. He was present when CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Havana to meet with Cuban officials, including Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence.
A CIA statement after the Ratcliffe meeting mentioned Castro’s name first – even though he didn’t have the leading official role. It said the Director went “to personally deliver President Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”
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.
Raulito Castro’s late father Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja built the military conglomerate Grupo de Administración Empresarial (GAESA), which the Trump administration says profits off the backs of the Cuban people and accounts for 70% of the country’s hard currency. His mom is Debora Castro Espín, Raul’s eldest daughter.
“Cuba is controlled by GAESA,” Rubio said in a Spanish-language video directed to the Cuban people Wednesday. He called it a “state within a state that is accountable to no one” and “hoards the profits of its businesses for the benefit of a small elite.”
Known as “El Cangrejo” — the “crab” nickname he appears to embrace — Raulito Castro, whose grand uncle is late dictator Fidel Castro, has six fingers on one of his hands due to a congenital deformity.
He also likes the the good life — posting on social media on boats, and jetting to Panama to check on Cuban businesses operating overseas.
It’s “not what you would call a monk’s existence. He apparently likes to live high — not as high as cousin Sandro, grandson of Fidel,” said LeoGrande, referencing the very online Castro descendant known for flaunting his wealth and cigar habit online.
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.
The Trump administration needs insiders it can work with, fearing a potential collapse or “failed state” situation off US shores.
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’s supply of oil.
“We cannot have these thieves running that island any longer, because we know that they have given a platform to our enemies for years,” fumed Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) on the day of Raul Castro’s indictment. She told reporters the move was “sending a very clear message to [the elder] Raul: Look at Maduro. If you do not want to wind up where he’s at, then go.”
