What is Gaesa, the group at the center of tensions between the US and Cuba?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made no secret of who he blames for Cuba's economic problems. The culprit, according to Rubio, is a military conglomerate known by the acronym GAESA.

"Cuba is controlled by GAESA," Rubio said on Wednesday (20) in a video message in Spanish addressed to the Cuban people.

"A 'state within the state' that is not accountable to anyone and accumulates the profits from its businesses for the benefit of a small elite", stated the secretary.

Continue lendo

27/05/2026

'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', 100 years old: why was Agatha Christie's novel voted the best whodunit of all time?

The crime writer Agatha ChristieAlamyIn 2013, the British Crime Writers Association (CWA) met to choose, as part of it...

27/05/2026

Divers try to bring food to survivors trapped in cave in Laos: 'Getting them out won't be easy'

Watch the moment rescue team finds 5 of the missing in cave in LaosDivers taking part in the rescue of five survivors...

27/05/2026

'I thought he was having a stroke', says Joe Biden's wife, about her husband's performance in the debate with Trump in 2024

Former US President, Joe Biden, in a photo with his wife, Jill Biden, and the couple's cat, in an image released on Ma...

The Cuban leadership rarely speaks publicly about GAESA. It has long argued that such discretion is necessary to address the US trade and financial blockade, which severely complicates the island's relations with the outside world.

What is GAESA?
GAESA stands for Business Administration Group. It is an extensive conglomerate of military-run companies, widely considered the most profitable and efficient on the island.

GAESA controls many of the Caribbean island's five-star hotels, its largest port at Mariel, its main commercial bank, as well as a wide range of supermarkets, gas stations and shipping companies.

Top Cifras

Toque agora.

1 About a Girl Nirvana

2 Diciembre 11 / La Servilleta Covi Quintana

3 Careless Whispers George Michael

4 Anjo E Serpente Paulo Ricardo

The tightly controlled umbrella group was created in the 1990s by then Defense Minister Raúl Castro and is controlled by the island's Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, former son-in-law of Raúl Castro, headed GAESA until his death in 2022. His successor, Brigadier General Ania Guillermina Lastres, was targeted by US sanctions earlier this month, imposed by President Donald Trump's administration.

Perhaps the most visible demonstration of GAESA's prominence in Cuba is the so-called K Tower, a 42-story building that houses the five-star Iberostar Selection La Habana hotel and is the tallest on the island.

Its construction, linked to GAESA's business, was completed in 2025, at a time when tourism was in decline. The tower and hotel are now idle and empty.

Rubio accuses the Cuban regime of enriching itself at the expense of the people and offers help | LIVE CNN

What does the US say about GAESA?
Rubio mentioned the group eight times during his five-minute message to the Cuban people. The Trump administration accuses GAESA of accumulating profits from the country's most valuable industries and using them to benefit the Cuban military and elite.

"The real reason you don't have electricity, fuel or food is because those who control the country looted billions of dollars, but none of it was used to help the people," Rubio said.

The US has repeatedly imposed sanctions on GAESA's businesses, effectively banning any American tourism at hotels owned by the conglomerate.

What does Cuba say?
Cuba denies that GAESA enrichment or corruption are to blame for the current economic crisis and points to recent comments by UN experts that the fuel blockade imposed by the Trump administration has led to "energy shortages", with serious consequences for human rights and development.

Otherwise, little is said about the conglomerate. An online search of the Communist Party's main newspaper, Granma, revealed just seven results with the term "GAESA" in 20 years. Citations are sparse and lacking in information.

Few Cuban officials comment publicly on GAESA, and the conglomerate's finances are not included in the communist government's budget.

Several public officials have suggested over the years that secrecy is necessary to ensure the operation of strategic foreign-exchange-generating businesses amid severe U.S. sanctions.

In 2024, Gladys Bejerano, then Cuba's general controller and main auditor, told the Spanish news agency EFE that GAESA was not under her jurisdiction and that the military-led business group had "superior discipline and organization".

How big is GAESA really?
There is no public information about the percentage of the Cuban economy controlled by GAESA.

External estimates range from 40% to 70%.

Rubio stated that GAESA has revenues three times greater than Cuba's current budget.

"Today, while you suffer, these businessmen have US$18 billion in assets and control 70% of the Cuban economy," he said.

Last week, the Cuban embassy in the United Kingdom published on the social network

"A simple accounting debunks this 'bomb'", said the embassy.

"Why the deception? Inventing a secret treasure of $18 billion provides a convenient political excuse to intensify the illegal sanctions that suffocate the Cuban population," he added.

Blackout and oil blockade: What is happening in Cuba?

Source: CNN