Cuba is not a producer, warehouse, or transit territory for drugs
- Written by Susana Anton
- Published in Cuba
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On Tuesday, Cuba reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward illicit drug trafficking by presenting the results of the comprehensive crackdown carried out during 2025, a period in which 1,941 kilograms of narcotics originating from maritime landings were seized.
At a press conference, Justice Minister Rosabel Gamón Verde stated that the country is not a producer, warehouse, or transit territory for third parties, although it faces objective risks due to its geographical location in the Caribbean, a region impacted by international drug trafficking routes.
The minister emphasized that the Cuban state maintains a sustained political will to address this phenomenon as a matter of national security, with a comprehensive approach that balances prevention, control, and confrontation, in accordance with the international commitments signed by the nation.
She explained that, following the approval of the 2019 Constitution, criminal and administrative regulations have been updated to strengthen the severity of penalties for drug-related crimes, in line with the State's zero-tolerance policy.
The National Drug Commission, composed of 13 agencies and expanded in 2025 with the permanent incorporation of the ministries of Agriculture, Culture, Tourism, and Labor and Social Security, consolidated preventive work through systematic actions in educational, work, and production centers and communities.
These actions include communication campaigns, rehabilitation and social reintegration programs, as well as the technical training of specialized forces and the application of science and technology for the detection of new substances.
DUMPING: MAIN SOURCE OF IMPACT
Colonel Juan Carlos Poey Guerra, head of the Specialized Anti-Drug Agency of the Ministry of the Interior (Minint), explained that in 2025 there were 53 incidents of dumping, which led to the seizure of marijuana, cocaine, and hashish.
He specified that these events occur mainly as a result of traffickers throwing drugs into the sea to evade pursuit in international waters, which causes the drugs to subsequently wash up on Cuban shores.
He noted that the greatest impact of drugs on our country is in the maritime channel, either through markets or through incursions by speedboats that can transport larger volumes.
Domestically, he highlighted that around 76 kilograms of drugs destined for the national illicit market were seized, with the highest incidence being synthetic drugs.
Colonel Poey Guerra pointed out that the Minint's specialized laboratory has identified 46 types of synthetic cannabinoids in the country, in an international context characterized by the expansion and diversification of designer drugs and synthetic opioids.
He added that in the year that just ended, 31 air operations were thwarted, in which 27 kilograms of drugs were seized, mainly cocaine, synthetic cannabinoids, and methamphetamine from some 11 countries, with the United States as the main source. and between 2024 and 2025, 75 such operations were thwarted, with more than 100 kilograms of drugs seized.
BORDER PROTECTION AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
First Colonel Ivey Daniel Carvallo Pérez, Chief of Staff of the Minint Border Guard Troops Directorate, highlighted that Cuba has more than 5,700 kilometers of coastline and a complex maritime geography, which requires a permanent surveillance system with naval and land forces and aerial exploration resources.
He emphasized that the fight against drugs is being carried out in a coordinated manner between the Ministry of the Interior, the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the General Customs Office of the Republic, and other agencies, with active popular participation, which has been decisive in detecting and seizing drugs.
He commented that popular participation is an essential element of the confrontation system, and that citizen awareness is crucial in preventing drugs from entering the country.
He highlighted that the country maintains information exchanges with 37 international contact points and with countries in the region, including Jamaica, Mexico, and the United States, in addition to participating in multilateral cooperation mechanisms against drug trafficking.
The first colonel recalled that the country has sustained this fight under conditions of economic and financial blockade, and currently also oil blockade, assuring that, despite material limitations, they will continue to improve methods, discipline, and technical preparation.
"We will continue to fulfill our duty, because preventing the national territory and its jurisdictional waters from being used for illicit trafficking is a strategic objective of the State," he said.
DIALOGUE ON THE PRINCIPLE OF MUTUAL SOVEREIGNTY AND RESPECT
Colonel Poey Guerra also reiterated his willingness to continue collaborating with the United States government in the fight against narcotics, under the principles of mutual sovereignty and respect.
He insisted that the core of Cuba's strategy against drug trafficking is based on a basic and defined objective of preventing the national territory and its territorial waters from being used for drug trafficking to third countries.
He stressed that drug trafficking is a transnational phenomenon that cannot be tackled by a single country or a single institution within a country, hence Cuba's willingness to maintain operational and technical cooperation with the relevant nations.
He stated that under the current administration, exchanges with the United States have been reduced to operational messages between the Border Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard, and reiterated that Cuba remains willing in principle to cooperate, provided that this does not involve political conditions or affect national sovereignty.
The colonel also emphasized Cuba's role as a "sea barrier" to prevent drug shipments from reaching the United States.
"We have demonstrated that the security of the people and the protection of our border do not depend on subordination to any other country or foreign agenda, but rather on the political will of the country and a deep connection with our institutions and the people," reaffirmed the Minister of Justice. (Source : Granma)
