Cuban Diplomat Accused of Espionage Remains Ambassador in Venezuela

Jorge Luis Mayo Fernández, a Cuban intelligence officer accused of engaging in espionage and political repression, continues to serve as Cuba's ambassador to Venezuela. This is despite allegations linking him to crimes against humanity across several Latin American nations.

Recently, the diplomat took part in an official event at the port of La Guaira, which celebrated the 145th anniversary of José Martí's arrival in Venezuela. Organized by the Cuban Embassy along with local authorities, the event included the attendance of Chavista governor José Alejandro Terán and other Venezuelan officials.

During the ceremony, speakers paid tribute to "Cuban and Venezuelan heroes who fell during the vile imperialist aggression on January 3," referring to the U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.

The continued presence of Mayo Fernández at the helm of the diplomatic mission in Caracas underscores the close ties between the Cuban regime and the Chavista power structure, even amid a political transition.

Following Maduro's downfall, Delcy Rodríguez assumed interim presidency under U.S. supervision, yet Havana has strived to maintain its influence and presence within Venezuela's institutional structures, particularly in areas related to intelligence, defense, and bilateral social programs.

The regime led by Miguel Díaz-Canel keeps a high-ranking G2 officer in charge of its embassy in Caracas as part of a strategy aimed at safeguarding Cuban interests in Venezuela and ensuring control over ongoing medical, technical, and advisory missions.

The appointment of an intelligence officer to this post also serves the purpose of closely monitoring the political developments following Maduro's ousting.

Amid a backdrop of transition and uncertainty, Havana is keen on preserving energy and cooperation agreements that have long provided it with subsidized oil and financial support, crucial for sustaining Cuba's struggling economy.

According to the Cuban Repressors Project, Jorge Luis Mayo Fernández is a senior officer of the M-II Department of the Intelligence Directorate (G2), with expertise in operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Defectors from within the apparatus accuse him of advising on mechanisms of repression and political persecution, as well as engaging in espionage activities during his diplomatic missions in Argentina, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and the United Nations.

The diplomat's public record indicates a career spanning more than three decades within the regime's structure. Educated at the Higher Institute of International Relations (ISRI) between 1984 and 1989, he began his career in 1999 as Third Secretary at the Cuban mission to the UN.

In 2004, he was assigned to Argentina as Second Chief of Mission, a position he held until 2008. He subsequently served as Second Chief of Mission in Venezuela (2010-2016) and was appointed ambassador to Nicaragua in 2021 before taking on his current role in Caracas.

Exile analysts and international observers agree that his continued presence in Venezuela holds symbolic and operational significance. "The presence of a G2 agent in Caracas is a survival maneuver by the Castro regime. Cuba seeks to retain access to intelligence and political networks in a country where it has historically operated without checks," an expert on security told CiberCuba.

Mayo Fernández's ongoing role also highlights the mutual dependency between both regimes. Despite the power shift in Venezuela, residual Chavismo remains a crucial ally for the Castro regime, both in oil supplies and security cooperation.

With the weakening of the Caracas–Havana axis, Díaz-Canel's government faces an increasingly isolated scenario and the loss of its primary energy support.

Maintaining an intelligence figure in Caracas is part of the regime's strategy to retain negotiation leverage with Washington and control the political narrative amid the regional reshuffling following Maduro's fall.