Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, a brigadier general who stepped up to lead Cuba's largest business conglomerate after the demise of Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, has been sanctioned this Thursday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with GAESA itself and the mining company Moa Nickel S.A. This action comes under the executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 1st.
Lastres Morera took on the interim role of Executive President at the Business Administration Group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (GAESA) following General Division Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja’s passing on July 1, 2022. Rodríguez López-Calleja, the former son-in-law of Raúl Castro and the architect of the enterprise for 26 years, was officially succeeded by Lastres Morera in February 2023.
Born on August 19, 1962, in Marianao, Havana, Lastres Morera graduated with distinction from the University of Havana's Faculty of Economics, holding a degree in Economic Planning. Her entire career unfolded within the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).
The Rise of Ania Lastres Morera
Her career path was marked by steady advancement: she served in the Directorate of Economic Collaboration and Material Fund, the Minister’s Secretariat, the V Section as the first officer, the Deputy Chief of the Special Economic Section, and the Second Chief of the V Department, ultimately becoming the First Executive Vice President of GAESA before taking the helm.
Since 2018, Lastres Morera has been a deputy in the National Assembly of People's Power, a member of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Central Committee since 2021, and appointed a member of the Council of State on July 17, 2024.
GAESA: A Key Player in Cuba's Economy
Rubio characterized GAESA as "the heart of Cuba's kleptocratic communist system," noting that the conglomerate controls between 40% and 70% of Cuba’s formal economy, encompassing tourism, foreign exchange trade, remittances, and banking.
A leak of 22 internal financial documents disclosed that GAESA managed up to $18 billion in current assets as of March 2024, operating with complete opacity and its own parallel tax office, the OATFAR, exempt from the national system.
Controversies Surrounding Lastres Morera's Family
Lastres Morera's family has added to the controversy: her sister, Adys, arrived in the United States in January 2023 and leads real estate businesses in Florida, while her daughter, Any Rodríguez Lastres, lives in Panama and works in the international port sector after starting her career at the Mariel Container Terminal.
Journalistic investigations have also uncovered that Lastres Morera owns 75% of the shares in Allicom Limited, a company registered in the United Kingdom, and is listed as the owner of apartments in Panama.
"Type her name into Google, and you'll find companies, records, links. This is about where the money stolen from the Cuban people is hidden," stated Luis Domínguez, an investigator with the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba.
Sanctions and Their Implications
Lastres Morera’s predecessor, Rodríguez López-Calleja, had already faced sanctions from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in September 2020 for leading a conglomerate that, according to Washington, funded repression in Cuba and interference in Venezuela.
These sanctions are part of a maximum pressure campaign that, since January 2026, has imposed over 240 sanctions on the regime, intercepted at least seven tankers, and slashed the island's energy imports by 80% to 90%.
Rubio warned that "additional designations can be expected in the coming days and weeks."
Understanding the Sanctions on GAESA and Ania Lastres Morera
Why was Ania Lastres Morera sanctioned by Washington?
Ania Lastres Morera was sanctioned due to her leadership role in GAESA, a conglomerate considered by the U.S. to be central to Cuba's kleptocratic communist system.
What role does GAESA play in the Cuban economy?
GAESA is a major player in Cuba's economy, controlling up to 70% of the formal economy, including sectors like tourism, foreign exchange, remittances, and banking.