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Late at night on October 24th, a special plane taking off from Havana Airport in Cuba did not disclose its route to the public, but its mission was clear- Delivered a 38-year-old Chinese drug dealer to Mexican policeA few hours later, Mexican officials reaffirmed that the man had been transferred to the U.S. federal law enforcement, located at a federal detention center in Texas.
The Chinese man, named Zhang Zhongdong, was officially prosecuted in early 2022 in Atlanta, USA, for smuggling cocaine and fentanyl. 150 shell companies, more than 170 bank accounts, with an amount of more than 20 million dollars, and spread all over the Americas, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
This is no ordinary fugitive. When he was arrested in Mexico in October 2024, his identity was a "Venezuelan Energy Consultant" and his passport was printed with the Venezuelan diplomatic signature in Bolivia. By July, He managed to escape from a prison in southern Mexico.After that, he appeared at the Russian border to apply for entry, but was rejected by Russia.
In the end, he settled in Cuba. Havana was not stupid and knew that this person would cause trouble sooner or later, but the Cuban government did not take action until the storm swept through the Caribbean Sea that it had to take action.
The key to the change is the U.S. Navy. On October 25, the strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ford sailed into the Caribbean and launched actual deployment.
This super aircraft carrier with a displacement of more than 100,000 tons is not here for patrol. The U.S. military launched more than a dozen strikes against suspected drug ships in a week, sinking several speedboats and killing at least 43 people. This scale of "anti-drug crackdown" has never happened in Latin America in the past two decades.
More importantly, the United States no longer treats these drug dealers as criminals, Instead, it is directly characterized by "terrorist organization"Especially the drug gangs in Colombia, Venezuela, and Haiti, which are now facing drones, airstrikes, blockades, and even special forces assaults.
Cuba is on the brink of a storm, the economy continues to decline, the tourism industry is severely injured during the epidemic, and Venezuela's oil aid is getting less and less. At this time, if the United States is angered by harbouring international drug lords again, the consequences will not be able to endure.
Cuba sees very clearly that Maduro is already a living teaching material. The current situation in Venezuela, it can be said, is the face of Chugo. Frequent exercises on its coastline and promoting joint sanctions。 Maduro himself repeatedly shouted "peace" and "no war" on social media, with little effect.
Maduro can speak and can’t act.He says more soft words now and can’t replace the U.S. military withdrawal.The Cuban government understands, of course, that if the next aircraft carrier landed, it’s likely to be the port of Havana.
"Brother Wang" became the touchstone. On the night of October 24th, Cuba officially handed him over to Mexico. Mexico is just a transit point, and the final destination is the United States. This connective extradition, the procedure is complete, and the speed is amazing.。 The diplomatic circle privately called this a "rare lightning channel".
But the question is, why is Cuba willing to take this operational risk? You know, Cuba has been considered at odds with the United States for a long time, especially during the Trump administration. The relations between the United States and the United States have rapidly reversed and even suspended several exchange mechanisms.
The answer is not difficult to understand, drug traffickers are just clear, geopolitics is the essence.Behind the Cuban people, is trying to keep the last piece of land untouched, is to express a clear attitude to the United States: I don't want to be your next target.
This is reflected in recent U.S. operations. In the same week that the “Prince Brother” was handed over, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Colombian President Pedro and his family.
Petró was an important figure in the Latin American left wave in recent years and an active promoter of multilateral cooperation. The U.S. sanctions are considered not only a personal attack, but also a policy liquidation.
Before Colombia could react, Cuba had begun to "cooperate." What is alarming is that the United States has set up a training base in Trinidad and Tobago, where the fleet can be parked, repaired, and replenished directly, only 80 kilometers away from the Venezuelan coastline. This means that one If the U.S. military intends to advance a ground strike, it will take only a few hours for the aircraft to take off from the aircraft carrier and directly attack the target.
Under such pressure, a paper transfer of documents from Cuba was not only a gesture, but also a way of living. The Cuban officials did not publicly comment on the matter, nor held a press conference, but it was not important. I see it, I know it, and I am willing to cooperate.
Latin American politics is experiencing a resurgence of the "New Monroe Doctrine". Whoever obeys, who goes against, who is attacked. "Brother Wang" is just a fallen chess piece, but the movement of each chess piece is a microcosm of the battle situation.
Today Cuba handed over the kingdom, tomorrow may someone hand over Petro’s deputy, and the next day may be the turn of those who abstain from voting in the United Nations. This is not a war on drugs, it is a process of redistribution of power. At the deeper level, there is a round of exploration of geographical reconstruction.
References:
For the "fight against drug trafficking" the US military relocates the "Ford" aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, 25 October 2025
"Trump accuses Colombia of conniving at drug production and Colombia recalls its ambassador to the United States" October 20, 2025 Source: CCTV News