Sex Trafficking In Cuba

I was originally going to title this post ‘a modern (technologically enabled) love story,’ though the current title likely suits it best.

It’s a tale for the more security oriented and technologically savvy among my current audience.

This is one Australian’s experience of leaving Tinder enabled for his first few days in Cuba. And it’s why I recommend on this site that anyone visiting Cuba disable Tinder before travelling to Cuba.

It’s also why I don’t trust Arab diplomats.

The Background And Her Approach

Having arrived in Cuba and been shuffled off to my Cuban quarantine prison, that they called a hotel, I’d ordered myself some wifi to stave off 7-10 days of boredom.

And as it turned out, I’d spend my first morning folding 500,000 Iranian Real notes into paper airplanes and flying them out through the bars of my 7th floor window. But I was running out of Iranian funny money and getting bored. And then my wifi finally started working.

Switching on my VPN so all apps worked, I immediately got a notification from Tinder. I thought that was a little odd. Because I have been told I have a face that looks like a dropped pie, smashed crab or a sackful of as*holes.

But hey, maybe the quarantine masks were working to my advantage. So I opened the message and there was a couple of profiles asking for my WhatsApp as Tinder is a pain to use in Cuba.

Fair enough I thought. Not all VPN’s are as easy to use as the one I had in Cuba. So I gave them my WhatsApp.

And sure enough, a couple of minutes later I got a message. Yet it wasn’t the kind of message you’d quite expect. The message was the first oddity I’d find and it looked like the below:

The Search For Her Social Profiles

Having received such a message and having way too much time on my hands thanks to Cuban quarantine, I’d see if I could find the person in the picture and let them know a spammer was inappropriately using images of their face for some sort of scam.

Because that’s the way these weirdos usually operate. They scrape images from social media and use photos of other people to try and run online scams. So I began running reverse image searches for the person whose face was attached to the WhatsApp account.

And I quickly found the individual in the pictures. A social media ‘influencer’ in Cuba with a relatively large following. A social media influencer whose last subset of pictures had them in the Radisson Blu in Moscow.

At that stage Russia wasn’t on the naughty list, having not yet sh*t the bed in Ukraine. So Tinder worked in Russia.

Nevertheless, having a lot of random social media accounts for online businesses that can’t be easily traced back to me, I thought I’d start following this person’s social media accounts as they seemed strange.

It seemed strange because she didn’t look like a hooker. And given Cuba is awash with pro and semi pro sex workers I thought I’d see what she was.

What I’d eventually see on her account and learn once out of hotel quarantine was that sex trafficking is rife in Cuba.

And a large number of young women in Cuba have been sex trafficked to Russia. And often from Russia they’re trafficked onwards to the United Arab Emirates. Including this one who later turned up in Dubai.

But she is only 1 of 8 I actively tracked taking the same route from Cuba to Russia and then onto the UAE.

Sex Trafficking In Cuba

Being the gin soaked degenerate that I am, I’m always sitting in my favourite drinking spot in Vedado when I’m in Havana. And on no less than 2 dozen occasions I’ve been approached by women working for the pimps on the corner of 21 Y N in Vedado.

On almost all occasions I’ve learnt that they have been sex workers in Russia. Often that’s where they have acquired their tattoos. I’m heavily tattooed and I’m nice to everyone.

Nobody ever suspects that the heavily tattooed, hard drinking Australian actually has 8 university degrees. So they open up and tell me anything I want to know.

From what I learnt talking to these ladies is that sex trafficking in Cuba is common. Often Cuban pimps from Havana will route these girls through Russia and then on to the UAE.

Now, at the time I was in Cuba to see a former college friend. Who happened to be a UAE diplomat stationed in Cuba who is now in Australia. I broached the issue with her.

And I was hit with roofies twice after that. So I never got to follow up on the issue.

Roofied After Raising The Issue Of Sex trafficking In Cuba

The first time I caught the spiked drink because I could taste it. And I tipped the drink out. The second time I didn’t see it coming.

But I did see the vehicles tailing us on the way from Havana to Varadero and the pills in her possession. I didn’t catch it because why would someone who could get any information she wanted by asking try drugging me?

Unluckily for her, I’m allergic to benzos and that entire class of drugs. So instead of being sleepy and malleable I alternate between unconscious and wide awake and non-compliant.

Her little question and answer session was a complete bust. And I was a right off with no memory of the almost exactly 12 hours I lost.

But apparently I scuffled with the hotel bouncers, vomited bile for hours and was thought to be dead at one stage because my heart beat was so low.

Do The Embassies In Cuba Know About Sex Trafficking?

From my own experience and from actually interacting with the diplomatic community in Cuba on regular occurrences over multiple trips my answer would be a resounding yes. I’ve spent a lot of time in Cuba.

And I’d say that it would be hard for the embassies in Havana not to know of the sex trafficking in Cuba. These ladies aren’t exactly discreet.

They leave more social media trails than Hansel and Gretel would leave breadcrumbs. In some cases they’re even pictured in diplomatic plated Mercedes vehicles (rare in Cuba). And it significantly narrows the embassy staffers they’re riding in Havana.

Cuba is also a sex tourism destination. It would be impossible not to know of sex trafficking in Cuba. Half the diplomatic community in Havana pays local Cuban ladies for sex.

I’ve seen diplomats with known local sex workers. Both online on Instagram and in person in Havana.

And yeah, I’m starting a YouTube channel. See, you should subscribe – you never know what’s coming to my channel real soon.

Do The Embassies In Havana Care about Sex Trafficking?

They don’t care about sex trafficking. You could theoretically hand them the network and the individuals responsible on a silver platter and they’d be uninterested.

One thing you need to know about diplomats and the diplomatic community in Cuba is that a lot of them are young. They consider Cuba a waste of time and are there to party.

Plus its a known issue that nobody really cares about. And because they aren’t guaranteed to get a pat on the head, accolades or promotion they just don’t bother.

See, in my experience most diplomats are of a type that are in it for themselves. They’re more often of a type of personality that craves attention and power. And if an issue isn’t guaranteed to get them either, they’re uninterested.

As for getting roofied after broaching the issue, well that was just arbitrary timing. The diplomat in question was most likely after other information.

I have a history of winding up as ‘Johnny on the spot’ in situations and places where gin soaked degenerates like me have no business being. And of dating women far above my own station in life.

Heavily tattooed, hard drinking Australians with penchants for philosophy seem to be welcome everywhere. And they can associate with litterally anyone.

How Do I Know I Was Drugged In Cuba?

I was completely cognisant of my surrounding prior to my last drink being handed to me by the diplomat in question. I can recall where everyone was, what the last three songs were and what we were discussing.

Also, I know that just prior to handing me that drink she was in her bag with the pills that I had seen earlier (I put sunscreen in her bag – I’m nosy). And that she walked back across the pool with her hands above the water.

A few minutes after being handed that small gin and tonic in a plastic cup (my 6th of the day and far below my tolerance) I was awake but not conscious for 12 hours. I had all of the symptoms associated with a paradoxical reaction to the roofie and I developed a rash.

I also noticed the cars that followed us from Vedado were a few cars back the entire trip to Varadero (about 2 hours). And they were in the same hotel parking lot in Varadero. One of them had diplomatic plates.

The trip was booked by her embassy. And it was suggested by her.

I should also note that there were only three people present not including myself. And two of them had no motive, barely knew me and actually stuck around to make sure I was okay. But the one who handed me the drink and had been my ‘friend’ for over decade disappeared for the next 12 hours.

Though the best evidence comes courtesy of waterproof Apple iPhones and the burning need of every young Cuban to film everything for Instagram. All of the time. From all angles.

What Happened To The Diplomat Who Roofied Me?

Well, no surprise but we stoped talking. And she left Cuba shortly after. Probably because that day she learnt which famous Cuban surname I was dating and in whose AirBnB I was staying.

She also learnt that girl, whose surname is quite famous in and out of Cuba, has the mobile phone number of the Cuban Minister responsible for domestic security on speed dial.

I would definitely assume that diplomat would never set foot in Cuba again. She’d be wise not to. And I certainly wont be associating with her. I’d also assume Australia knows about her too. And is on her like white on rice.

Her days of roofieing people are over.

Where Can I Get More Information About Cuba?

I’ve made my Complete Guide To Traveling Cuba available on this website. And I would strongly advise you to read it before travelling to Cuba. It will help you navigate Cuba and Cuban society.

My Complete Guide To Cuba will save you a lot of time and a significant amount of money on your trip to Cuba. Cuba is not the sort of destination in which you can just arrive unprepared. 

Read the most Complete Guide To Traveling Cuba here.