If you kill Americans, we will pursue you, no matter how much time has passed
Décadas após o abate de aviões civis sobre o Estreito da Flórida, os Estados Unidos ressuscitam um caso de sangue como instrumento de pressão geopolítica, prendendo a irmã de uma das figuras mais poderosas do aparato militar-empresarial cubano e indiciando Raúl Castro por homicídio. O gesto não é apenas jurídico — é uma declaração de que Washington pretende responsabilizar o regime de Havana com todas as ferramentas disponíveis, legais e econômicas. Por trás dos atos formais, porém, são os cubanos comuns que continuam pagando a conta mais pesada.
- Washington prende a irmã da presidente do Gaesa, o conglomerado militar que controla turismo, bancos e logística em Cuba — sinalizando que nenhum laço familiar com o regime está fora do alcance americano.
- Raúl Castro, 94 anos, é indiciado por ordenar o abate de aviões civis em 1996, matando quatro pessoas — três delas americanas — em um caso que o governo Trump usa para demonstrar que o tempo não apaga responsabilidades.
- O bloqueio de combustível imposto por Trump agrava apagões e escassez que já castigam a população cubana, enquanto o diretor da CIA visita a ilha com uma oferta condicional: ajuda econômica em troca de transformação do regime.
- Cuba foi recolocada na lista americana de patrocinadores do terrorismo, revertendo a abertura de Biden, e o governo cubano responde acusando Washington de ser ele próprio cúmplice de atos terroristas no exterior.
- A ONU votou pela 32ª vez consecutiva pelo fim do embargo — 187 países a favor, apenas EUA e Israel contra — mas a pressão internacional não alterou a trajetória de endurecimento da política americana.
Os Estados Unidos anunciaram a prisão de Adys Lastres Morera, cuja irmã dirige o Gaesa — o vasto império empresarial controlado pelos militares cubanos, com tentáculos no turismo, na banca, no comércio e na logística estratégica do país. As autoridades federais alegam que a rede explorou empresas militares para obter vantagens financeiras. A detenção faz parte de uma campanha crescente contra figuras ligadas ao regime que vivem em solo americano.
Poucas semanas antes, a administração Trump havia indiciado Raúl Castro, ex-presidente de 94 anos, por conspiração para assassinar cidadãos americanos e por quatro homicídios relacionados ao abate de aviões civis em 1996. Três das vítimas eram americanas. O procurador-geral interino foi direto: quem mata americanos será perseguido, independentemente do cargo ou do tempo decorrido. O governo da Flórida classificou o ataque como deliberado e premeditado — não um acidente.
Esse endurecimento reflete uma política mais ampla de Washington em relação a Havana. Após a prisão de Nicolás Maduro na Venezuela, as tensões se intensificaram. Trump impôs um bloqueio de combustível e ameaçou sancionar qualquer país que fornecesse energia à ilha, aprofundando os apagões e o sofrimento econômico já generalizado. O diretor da CIA visitou Cuba com uma mensagem presidencial: os EUA ajudariam o país — mas apenas mediante mudanças fundamentais no regime.
Essa pressão se acumula sobre seis décadas de embargo. O bloqueio impede navios que atracam em portos cubanos de entrar em águas americanas por seis meses e proíbe entidades com capital americano de negociar com a ilha. Em outubro de 2024, a ONU votou pela 32ª vez consecutiva pelo fim do embargo — 187 países a favor, somente EUA e Israel contra.
Biden havia aliviado levemente as restrições antes de deixar o cargo, retirando Cuba da lista de patrocinadores do terrorismo. Trump reverteu a medida. O governo cubano nega ter presos políticos e acusa os opositores de serem mercenários americanos. Havana, por sua vez, aponta para a cumplicidade histórica de Washington em atos terroristas no exterior. O que permanece claro, enquanto os dois governos trocam acusações e instrumentos legais, é que os cubanos comuns continuam absorvendo os custos — nos apagões, na escassez e no peso cotidiano de viver sob cerco.
The United States announced the arrest of Adys Lastres Morera, whose sister Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera commands Gaesa, the sprawling military-controlled business empire that functions as one of Cuba's most formidable economic structures. Gaesa's reach extends across tourism, banking, commerce, logistics, and strategic state enterprises—the machinery that keeps the island's economy running. The arrest of Adys represents part of a widening American campaign against regime-connected figures living on U.S. soil, with federal authorities alleging that the network exploited military-controlled companies to extract financial advantage.
The timing carries weight. Just weeks earlier, the Trump administration had indicted Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba, on charges of conspiracy to murder American citizens, four counts of homicide, and destruction of aircraft. The charges reach back three decades to a 1996 incident in which Cuban fighter jets attacked civilian planes operated by an exile group. Four people died in the attack—three of them American citizens. Todd Blanche, the interim U.S. attorney general, made clear at the indictment ceremony that the passage of time offered no shelter: "If you kill Americans, we will pursue you, no matter who you are, no matter what office you hold, and in this case, no matter how much time has passed." James Uthmeier, Florida's attorney general, stated flatly that Castro had ordered those fighters to attack unarmed civilians—that it was not an accident but deliberate, premeditated action. Blanche added that Castro would appear in the United States "by his own will or by other means."
The escalation reflects a broader hardening of American policy toward Havana under the Trump administration. Tensions between Washington and the Cuban capital have intensified in recent months, particularly after the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. The White House has described Cuba's government as "corrupt and incompetent" and has made clear its intention to pressure the regime toward collapse. Trump implemented a fuel blockade and threatened sanctions against any nation supplying energy to the island, deepening the power cuts and economic damage already ravaging Cuban society. In a rare visit to Cuba, CIA director John Ratcliffe delivered a message from Trump: the United States would help Cuba with economic and security matters "if there are fundamental changes"—a conditional offer that amounted to a demand for regime transformation.
This pressure sits atop six decades of American embargo. In February 1962, President John F. Kennedy imposed a commercial embargo that has remained in force ever since, evolving into a comprehensive sanctions regime. The blockade penalizes any ship that docks at a Cuban port by barring it from U.S. waters for six months. It prohibits foreign entities with more than 10 percent American capital from conducting any business with the island. In October 2024, the United Nations General Assembly voted for the 32nd consecutive year to end the embargo—187 countries in favor, only the United States and Israel voting no, with Moldova abstaining.
Joe Biden had loosened the screws slightly before leaving office. He removed Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list and opened space for investment and trade, moves intended to encourage the government to release political prisoners. Months into his presidency, Trump reversed course. In May 2024, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced that Cuba had been returned to the terrorism list, citing insufficient cooperation on counterterrorism matters. Venezuela, North Korea, Iran, and Syria remained on the list as well. Cuba's government denies holding political prisoners and accuses opponents of being American mercenaries. Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba's vice minister of foreign relations, responded on social media that it was the United States that refused to cooperate in fighting terrorism, pointing to documented American complicity in terrorist acts abroad.
The arrest of Adys Lastres Morera and the indictment of Raúl Castro signal that the Trump administration intends to prosecute its case against Cuba's leadership with legal instruments as well as economic ones. Whether the strategy will produce the regime change Washington seeks remains uncertain. What is clear is that ordinary Cubans will absorb the costs—in blackouts, in scarcity, in the daily friction of living under siege.
Notable Quotes
If you kill Americans, we will pursue you, no matter who you are, no matter what office you hold, and in this case, no matter how much time has passed.— Todd Blanche, interim U.S. attorney general
Raúl Castro ordered those fighters to attack unarmed civilians. This was not an accident. It was deliberately premeditated.— James Uthmeier, Florida attorney general
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why arrest the sister rather than the general herself? What does that accomplish?
It's about reach and leverage. Adys lives in the United States. The general doesn't. You arrest who you can touch, and you use that pressure to signal to everyone connected to the regime that nowhere is truly safe—that family ties won't protect you.
But Raúl Castro is 94 years old and living in Cuba. How does indicting him change anything?
It doesn't change his immediate circumstances. But it establishes a legal claim that persists. If he ever leaves the island, he can be arrested. It also serves a symbolic purpose—it says the U.S. hasn't forgotten, won't forgive, and will pursue accountability even across decades.
The 1996 incident killed four people. Why did it take 30 years to indict?
Political will. Previous administrations chose not to prosecute. The Trump administration sees it differently—as part of a broader campaign to delegitimize and destabilize the regime. The indictment is a tool, not just justice.
What about the embargo? Hasn't that been in place since Kennedy?
Yes, but Trump tightened it. He added the fuel blockade, which is causing real suffering—power cuts, economic collapse. The message is: cooperate with regime change, or the pain gets worse.
Does Cuba have any leverage back?
Not much. They deny the charges, they accuse the U.S. of hypocrisy on terrorism, but those words don't move markets or stop blockades. Their leverage is mostly rhetorical and diplomatic, and the U.S. isn't listening.