Cuba Vows to Continue Protecting U.S. From Drug “Scourge”

Cuba has cooperated with the United States on counternarcotics and counterterrorism efforts for decades. The State Department’s 2024 annual counternarcotics report recognized Cuba as an effective regional partner in fighting drug trafficking.

But the chapter on Cuba was removed from last year’s report — without explanation. Cuban officials say the move is politically motivated.

Despite the removal, “we continue protecting the United States from the scourge of drugs,” said Colonel Juan Carlos Poey, head of the Anti-Drug Unit of Cuba’s Interior Ministry. “They need to understand that destabilizing a country just 90 miles from the United States would ultimately create a problem for them.”

Poey also alleged that while Cuba has a zero-tolerance drug policy, “the main source of drugs entering our country comes from the United States, particularly synthetic cannabinoids.”