Cuba: Information on the Counter-Intelligence Department (possibly within the Ministry of the Interior) and on whether it was involved in the investigations of the 1980s-90s involving drug trafficking, corruption and black marketeering
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CUB19107.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Cuba: Information on the Counter-Intelligence Department (possibly within the Ministry of the Interior) and on whether it was involved in the investigations of the 1980s-90s involving drug trafficking, corruption and black marketeering, 1 December 1994, CUB19107.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac6674.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Various attached articles refer briefly to the counter-intelligence directorate, although only the BBC Summary and Cuba: A Country Study locate it within the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (BBC Summary 27 Sept. 1989; 1985; The Daily Telegraph 3 June 1991, 7; The Washington Times 3 July 1991; Reuters 7 Nov. 1992; CNN 18 Mar. 1992).
Little information was found on the role of the counter-intelligence directorate in the drug trade or black marketeering, either as criminal elements or as investigators of these criminals. However, The Washington Times states that a cocaine factory near Mao was guarded by units of Raul Castro's military counterintelligence service (3 July 1991). There are, however, many references to the active involvement of members of Cuba's secret police and members of the intelligence service in the drug trade, corruption and black marketeering (ibid.; Latin American Weekly Report 13 Dec. 1990, 9; Latinamerica Press 13 July 1989, 8; AP 11 July 1989; Chicago Tribune 14 July 1989; St. Louis Post-Dispatch 2 July 1989; Reuters 7 July 1989).
Please consult Response to Information Request CUB19106.E of 30 November 1994, available at your Regional Documentation Centre, for information on the 1989 convictions of Cuban military and Interior officers for drug smuggling. The attachments also discuss the role of these officers in corruption and black marketeering.
Please refer to the attachment from World Encyclopedia of Police Forces and Penal Systems for general information on the Ministry of the Interior and the penal system.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
The Associated Press (AP). 11 July 1989. AM Cycle. "Cubans Defend Death Sentences of Convicted of Drug Smugglers." (NEXIS)
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 27 September 1989. "Cuba Castro Presides Over Interior Ministry Reorganization." (NEXIS)
Chicago Tribune. 14 July 1989. Final Edition. "War Hero Executed in Cuba." (NEXIS)
CNN. 18 March 1992. "Supply Shortages in Cuba's Defense Threatened." (NEXIS)
The Daily Telegraph [London]. 3 June 1991. Paul Vallely. "Cuba's Cocaine Connection." (NEXIS)
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 13 July 1989. Vol. 21, No. 26. "Cuba: Drug Trafficking Scandal Hits Core of Castro's revolution."
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. 13 December 1990. "Cuba: Politics & Drugs: So Was Ochoa a Scapegoat?"
Reuters. 7 November 1992. "Vice-President Says Cuba Fighting 'War Without Shots'." (NEXIS)
. 7 July 1989. AM Cycle. Lionel Martin. "Cuba Revolution Hero Ochoa Sentenced to Death in Drug Scandal." (NEXIS)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2 July 1989. Five Star Edition. "Officers in Cuba Indicted 15 Being Charged in Drug Smuggling." (NEXIS)
The Washington Times. 3 July 1991. Final Edition. Bill Gertz. "Cuba Involved in Novel Drug-Smuggling Technique." (NEXIS)
Attachments
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 27 September 1989. "Cuba Castro Presides Over Interior Ministry Reorganization." (NEXIS)
Cuba: A Country Study. 1985. Edited by James D. Rudolph. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army, p. 251.
CNN. 18 March 1992. "Supply Shortages in Cuba's Defense Threatened." (NEXIS)
The Daily Telegraph [London]. 3 June 1991. Paul Vallely. "Cuba's Cocaine Connection." (NEXIS)
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 13 July 1989. Vol. 21, No. 26. "Cuba: Drug Trafficking Scandal Hits Core of Castro's revolution," p. 8.
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. 13 December 1990. "Cuba: Politics & Drugs: So Was Ochoa a Scapegoat?", p. 9.
Reuters. 7 November 1992. "Vice-President Says Cuba Fighting 'War Without Shots'." (NEXIS)
. 7 July 1989. AM Cycle. Lionel Martin. "Cuba Revolution Hero Ochoa Sentenced to Death in Drug Scandal." (NEXIS)
The Washington Times. 3 July 1991. Final Edition. Bill Gertz. "Cuba Involved in Novel Drug-Smuggling Technique." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International Report. Yearly. 1989 to 1991, 1993 to present.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. 1989 to present.
Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993.
The Cuban Revolution at 30. 10 January 1989.
Current History [Philadelphia]. Monthly. 1989 to present.
DIRB "Cuba" country file. 1989 to present.
Documentation, Information and Research Branch (DIRB), Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa. October 1990. Cuba and the New Asylum Seekers.
The Europa World Year Book. Yearly. 1990, 1994.
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. Monthly. 1989 to present.
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. Weekly. 1989 to present.
Latin American Special Reports [London]. Bi-monthly. 1990 to present.
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. Weekly. 1989 to present.
The Military Balance 1990-1991. Autumn 1990.
NACLA Report on the Americas [New York]. Bimonthly.
World Human Rights Guide. Yearly. 1992.
On-line search of media sources.
