La fortuna y el paraíso secreto de Fidel Castro revelados por su ex guardaespaldas

Summary

In this revealing interview, Jorge, a former bodyguard of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, discusses his 17-year tenure and the luxurious life of the Castro family. He details the sophisticated security system that protected Castro from numerous assassination attempts and shares insights into Castro's secret wealth, including offshore accounts and a lavish private island, Cayo Piedra. The conversation also uncovers Castro's involvement in drug trafficking, shattering the speaker's previous idolization and prompting his departure from Cuba.

Takeaways

• 😀 Juan Reinaldo Sanchez, Fidel Castro's former bodyguard for 17 years, has written a book detailing the luxurious life of the Castro family and Cuba's main leaders.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Sanchez was unknowingly groomed for his role as Castro's bodyguard since his secondary school days due to his martial arts practice and his family's revolutionary background.
• 🛡️ The security system surrounding Fidel Castro was considered one of the most efficient in the world, receiving intelligence on assassination attempts and advanced weaponry from various sources, including the Mossad and the CIA.
• 💥 There were no successful assassination attempts on Castro's life during the 17 years that Sanchez was his bodyguard, as the threats never reached their inner circle.
• 🏝️ Cayo Piedra, discovered by Castro in 1961, became a personal paradise for him with many modifications including a guesthouse, swimming pool, saltwater pool for dolphins, and a turtle breeding facility.
• 💰 In 2006, Forbes listed Fidel Castro among the ten richest kings, queens, and dictators in the world, raising questions about how he amassed his wealth.
• 🏭 From the 1980s, Castro created a series of companies whose profits were directly given to him, contributing to his personal fortune.
• 🤫 Sanchez claims to have witnessed the transfer of a million dollars in profits from the Cubanacan company to Castro on two occasions.
• 📊 The funds from Castro's businesses and other sources were allegedly managed through coded accounts outside of Cuba and a secretive internal reserve known as 'Reserva del Comandante en Jefe'.
• 🗣️ Sanchez's perception of Castro changed dramatically after learning about Castro's involvement in drug trafficking, which contradicted the public stance of the Cuban government.
• 🤝 The interview concludes with Sanchez's intention for his book to provide an alternative perspective on Castro's private life, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions about the discrepancy between Castro's public image and his private reality.

Q & A

Who is Juan Reinaldo Sanchez, as mentioned in the transcript?

Juan Reinaldo Sanchez is described as Fidel Castro's bodyguard for 17 years and the author of a book detailing the luxurious life of the Castro family and Cuba's main leaders.

How did Juan Reinaldo Sanchez become Fidel Castro's bodyguard?

He was unknowingly being observed since his secondary school days due to his practice of martial arts. His family was revolutionary, and he was recruited to be Castro's escort in 1974.

What does Sanchez claim about the security system of Fidel Castro?

Sanchez states that Castro's security system is one of the most efficient in the world, receiving information about assassination attempts and new weaponry from intelligence centers outside of Cuba.

How many times did attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro reach his security circle during Sanchez's service?

According to Sanchez, no assassination attempts ever reached their security circle during his 17 years of service.

What is Cayo Piedra, and what is its significance to Fidel Castro?

Cayo Piedra is a location discovered by Fidel Castro in 1961 after the Bay of Pigs invasion. It consists of two islands connected by a 120-meter bridge, which Castro fell in love with and where many modifications were made, including a visitors' house, a swimming pool, a saltwater pool, a dolphinarium, and more.

How did Fidel Castro become one of the richest leaders in the world according to Forbes in 2006?

From the 1980s, Castro created a series of companies whose profits were directly given to him. Additionally, he received income through the Ministry of the Interior from various industries.

How much money did the Cubanacan company, directed by Abraham Masiques, give to Fidel Castro in one instance according to the transcript?

In two instances, the company Cubanacan gave Fidel Castro one million dollars in profits.

What does Juan Reinaldo Sanchez claim about the handling of money by Fidel Castro?

Sanchez claims that Castro had coded accounts outside of Cuba and also had a portion of his wealth in Cuba, referred to as 'Reserves of the Commander in Chief,' which included not only money but also property like cars and trucks.

Why did the Cuban authorities lose confidence in Juan Reinaldo Sanchez in 1994?

The loss of confidence was related to his brother's decision to leave Cuba and the fact that Sanchez had witnessed and could potentially reveal sensitive information about Castro's involvement in drug trafficking.

What incident at the 1991 Ibero-American Summit in Guadalajara, Mexico, involving a confrontation with a reporter, stands out in the transcript?

A reporter was pushed aside by a bodyguard when asking about democracy in Cuba, which highlights the strict control over public appearances and the handling of sensitive questions.

What is the main objective of Juan Reinaldo Sanchez's book about Fidel Castro?

The book aims to provide a different perspective on Fidel Castro's private life, which was always kept as a state secret in Cuba, allowing people to compare the public discourse about Castro's life with the reality of his private life.