The Historical Context of Cuba's InvolvementThe connection between high-ranking Cuban officials and drug trafficking didn’t start with the 1989 Causa 1 trial and the execution of General Arnaldo Ochoa. Declassified U.S. intelligence documents from the early 1980s reveal Cuban officials facilitating drug operations. In 1982, a U.S. federal grand jury indicted four senior Cuban officials for using Cuban territory to aid drug trafficking from Colombia. Recent Investigations and the Cartel of the SunsResearch from 2025 suggests a continuity between past Cuban operations and the development of criminal networks within the Venezuelan state. The 2025 Global Organized Crime Index does not list Cuba as a major international route, though it notes issues with illicit markets, drug trafficking, and corruption.