US arrests sister of Cuban military conglomerate chief

PHOTO CAPTION: Reuters

May 21  -  The United States arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of the executive president of GAESA, a sprawling conglomerate of military-run businesses, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday.

Morera, who entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending removal proceedings, according to separate statement from ICE. 

Morera's presence poses a threat to the United States and undermines American foreign policy interests, the statement said.

Cuba's leadership rarely talks publicly about GAESA, which stands for Grupo de Administración Empresarial - or 'business administration group.'

It has long held that such discretion is necessary to confront a U.S. trade and financial blockade that severely complicates the island's business with the outside world.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach out to representatives of Morera for comment. 

(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya; editing by Costas Pitas // REUTERS)