Venezuela transferred an estimated $64 billion in oil wealth to Cuba over two decades, helping build a Cuban-led intelligence and security apparatus tied to political repression and social control, according to a report cited by the Washington-based Miranda Center for Democracy.
The study concludes that Caracas used subsidized oil shipments, debt relief and joint investments to finance a system that reshaped Venezuela's military and intelligence institutions. In return, Cuban advisers helped design and embed a model focused on internal surveillance and regime protection, transforming agencies once tasked with public security into tools of political control.
The report, obtained by The Miami Herald, traces the origins of the alliance to a 2000 agreement between Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro. While publicly framed as an exchange of oil for social services such as doctors and teachers, researchers say the relationship evolved into a deeper security partnership.
Through loosely defined agreements, Cuban personnel provided intelligence training, strategic advising and operational support that expanded over time.
Central to that effort was the creation of GRUCE, a coordination structure established in 2008 that embedded Cuban intelligence within Venezuela's security apparatus. Alongside the civilian intelligence agency SEBIN and the military counterintelligence body DGCIM, the system formed what analysts describe as a coordinated structure aimed at detecting and neutralizing dissent.
The United Nations' Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela has linked those institutions to systematic abuses. In a May 2025 statement, the mission said detentions carried out by state security forces are part of a "deliberate plan" to silence opponents and "instill fear among the population." It warned that holding detainees in isolation and incommunicado conditions is "an illegal and perverse practice that can constitute an international crime."
The mission also found that the lack of judicial safeguards, including the ineffective use of habeas corpus, reflects "the absence of a true rule of law," with courts and prosecutors contributing to impunity in cases involving torture and enforced disappearances.
Recent events have underscored the extent of Cuban involvement. During the U.S. military operation that led to Nicolás Maduro's capture in January, Cuban personnel were reported to be part of his inner security ring. Cuba later confirmed that 32 of its citizens were killed during the raid, describing them as having "fulfilled their duty" while supporting security and defense operations in Venezuela.
According to the report, the security architecture built with Cuban support remains largely intact despite Maduro's removal. Analysts cited in the findings say the system's structures, doctrine and networks continue to shape Venezuela's institutions, raising questions about how easily it can be dismantled.
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