Ghost of Ochoa: Why Castro's foreign minister is loudly protesting a Newsweek story https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/04/ghost-of-ochoa-why-castros-foreign.html

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." - William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act -III, Scene-II https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/04/ghost-of-ochoa-why-castros-foreign.html

Yesterday, Castro's foreign minister issued a strong denial rejecting a statement reported by Newsweek 4/3/20 that a "senior Pentagon official said that the US Intelligence Community 'has evidence that Maduro is trafficking drugs using naval vessels between Venezuela & Cuba.'"

Clearly, the military junta in Cuba is nervous. The United States Department of Justice announced on March 26, 2020 that Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 current and former Venezuelan Officials were charged with narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking & other criminal charges.

The Castro regime has a decades long relationship with drug cartels, and has been involved in the drug smuggling business itself, and high ranking officials have been indicted in the past. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/04/ghost-of-ochoa-why-castros-foreign.html

Last time something like that happened was in 1989 when Manuel Noriega was indicted, captured, sentenced and jailed for drug trafficking, the Castro regime responded by holding a show trial and executing possible witnesses linking the Castro brothers to cocaine trafficking.

High ranking officials were subjected to political show trials, were they admitted their guilt, and were then shot by firing squad. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/04/ghost-of-ochoa-why-castros-foreign.html

General Arnaldo Ochoa, who backed the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and had distinguished himself in South Africa in important battles against the Apartheid regime's army, had grown too popular among the troops, and had the mistaken idea that he had the right to an opinion.

Others like Tony de la Guardia were executed because they could have testified to the direct involvement of the Castro brothers in the drug trade. Bad luck for his twin brother Patricio, who ended up sentenced to 30 years in prison. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/04/ghost-of-ochoa-why-castros-foreign.html

No doubt officials in the Castro regime are looking around the room during official meetings wondering if they know too much, or are too popular and will be given the Ochoa or De la Guardia treatment. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/04/ghost-of-ochoa-why-castros-foreign.html

Guilt or innocence does not matter, but if you have left a bad impression with Raul Castro or if your capture would lead to testimony that endangered him, or someone else in the Castro family then a show trial or a sudden fatal illness could easily result.

Not a fun time to be in the inner circle of the Castro regime. It also explains why Castro's foreign minister doth protest too much. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/04/ghost-of-ochoa-why-castros-foreign.html