Cubans missing in Europe: the hidden drama of emigration

Cuban emigration to Europe has increased in recent years, driven by the economic and political crisis in Cuba.

This flow includes irregular migration routes that cross several countries, as well as Cubans legally residing in Europe.

Consequently, cases of missing Cuban citizens have been reported both in transit to Europe , the within European countries.

Some of these incidents are linked to criminal human trafficking networksBelow is a detailed report with information available to date, including statistics, documented cases, and country-by-country data, supported by official sources and reliable media.

Cuban migrants missing in transit to Europe

Irregular routes and dangers: A growing number of Cubans have attempted to reach Europe through unconventional means, especially taking advantage of the old policy of visa exemption in Serbia (valid until the end of 2022). Since 2021, they observed Hundreds of Cubans traveling to Serbia (or Russia, with a stopover in Serbia) to then clandestinely cross borders in the Balkans into the European Union.

These journeys involve significant risks: Several migrants get lost during the journey or even lose their lives due to the extreme conditions. As one reportage de OnCubaNews, the Balkan route “holds stories… of those who have not made it; those who They disappeared somewhere along the route without a trace; those who are known to They lost their lives on the way”. This includes cases of families who are separated and never reunited. For example, a Cuban resident in Italy who helps migrants knows the case of a traveler whose brother-in-law disappeared during the crossing and no news was ever heard of him.

Modus operandi and new risks: Initially, many Cubans flew to Russia and then attempted to enter the EU via Belarus or Serbia.

After the closure of these facilities (Serbian visa) and the war in Ukraine, traffickers they adjusted the routesCubans now fly to Serbia (via third countries) and from there cross on foot to North Macedonia and Greece.

Migrant groups report nighttime walks without supplies, exposure to cold weather, and abuse by smugglers. Some migrants never complete the journey..

International organizations have warned that dangerous conditions (mountainous terrain, rivers, climate) and violence by traffickers lead to "forced" disappearances or invisible shipwrecks where no trace remains of the boats. Although there are no precise figures on how many Cubans have disappeared in transit to Europe, testimonies indicate that There are not a few cases.

Germany case – “transit route”: A particular phenomenon occurred in Germany: starting in 2022, hundreds of Cubans took advantage of flights with stopover in Frankfurt to request asylum in the airport transit area (where visas are not required). Many then they abandoned the process and “disappeared” of the work German host.

In fact, of 302 Cubans who requested asylum in this way in 2022, "Not even half" were subsequently presented at the immigration centers, according to the German Interior Ministry.

Around 300 Cubans would have disappeared in that way, possibly passing into the secrecy in Germany or moving to Spain or other countries.

This gap has raised concerns in Germany, whose police union has described this vulnerability in the Schengen area as "unacceptable."

Missing Cubans residing in Europe

The Cuban community in Europe exceeds 250 residents, concentrated mainly in Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.

Within these diasporas, disappearances of Cuban citizens living or traveling on the continent have been reported. In many cases, family members report the disappearance to the local police and on social media.

• Disappearances: An example is Felícito Zambrano Jiménez, a Cuban resident in Andalusia, Spain, who disappeared without a trace since February 7, 2022. He was last seen in the city of Chiclana (Cádiz). His sister and mother filed a complaint and asked for public assistance, later on February 11th he was located.
• Cases with tragic outcomes: Unfortunately, some disappearances have ended up revealing crimes.
  • A famous case occurred in Soria, Spain: the Cuban Jorge Luis PO, 32, was reported missing in November 2023. Almost a year later, in 2024, police found human remains and discovered he had been murdered and dismembered, solving the case thanks to fortuitous images from Google Street View. The victim, who had been living in Spain since January 2023, was the victim of a love triangle that led to her murder, According to the police investigation.
  • In 2020, the disappearance of an elderly Cuban man in the province of Huelva, who was later found dead due to natural causes (case of Aníbal Suárez, 70 years old).
• Cases with a happy ending: Not all stories end badly. In Italy, the mother of Yaquelín Aguillón Delgado, a Cuban resident in all in the province of Savona , denounced in November 2022 that his daughter (39 years old) was in unknown locationThe young woman suffered from depression and wandered aimlessly. The news spread through social media. Cubans in Italy and, thanks to the mobilization of the community and the intervention of the Italian police, Yaquelín was found alive A few days later, the authorities managed to establish a dialogue with her to provide her with assistance.
• Disappearances of Cubans in intra-European transit: Another relevant fact involves Niurka Izaguirre Acevedo, a 44-year-old Cuban woman living in Switzerland. In April 2024, she was reported as missing after driving from Switzerland to German to visit her children. Weeks later, she was found lifeless in a lake in Frankfurt (Germany)​. The circumstances of his death remain under investigation.

There are reports of Cubans who briefly disappeared in Rome or Milan and were later located with consular support. Many Cubans arrive in Italy through family reunification or visas, so cases of disappearance are often not linked to irregular migration but to personal problems.

Italy has been a destination of the “Balkan route”Dozens of Cubans who crossed illegally have requested asylum there or have continued on to Spain.

Criminal networks and cases of human trafficking

Several of the cases of Cuban migrants in Europe are linked to migrant trafficking networks or even to is about people for exploitation.

These criminal organizations take advantage of the vulnerability of migrants and operate transnationally, involving multiple European countries and Cuba.

• Cuban migrant trafficking networks: In 2023 and 2024, Interpol, Europol and national police forces dismantled organizations dedicated to illegally smuggling Cubans into Europe. A coordinated investigation since 2021 identified a transnational network that charged around 9.000 to 10.000euros per migrant to manage their journey from Cuba to EU countries.

• • The common scheme was: a flight from Cuba to Serbia (which until 2023 did not require a visa for Cubans), a land crossing to Greece via the Balkans, and a final flight from Athens to Spain with false or stolen documents.
  • It is estimated that about 5.000 Cubans entered the EU through this network, which obtained illicit profits close to 45 millones de euros.
  • In a joint operation in June 2023, they were 62 traffickers arrested (25 of them of Cuban nationality) in Serbia, Greece, Finland, North Macedonia and Spain.
  • Police seized hundreds of counterfeit passports and cash, highlighting the scale of Cuban smuggling.

• Operation Spain-Serbia (2024): In December 2024, the Spanish National Police announcing the dismantling of another criminal group that had At least 67 Cubans smuggled into Spain, charging ~€10.000 each.

• • There was 36 arrested in twelve provinces of Spain (including leaders in Malaga and Gipuzkoa).
  • The investigation began after Germany alerted them about a Cuban woman with a fake Spanish ID on a Belgrade-Madrid flight.
  • This network recruited migrants in Cuba through a supposed online travel agency and coordinated the entire illegal route. To cross borders in the Balkans, they used “coyotes” and drivers who even transported Cubans hidden in vehicle trunks at high speed, endangering their lives.

• Human trafficking for sexual exploitation: In addition to trafficking for migration, there have been documented cases of trafficking of Cubans in Europe.

• • In March 2024, the Spanish Police dismantled a sexual exploitation network in Granada that forced immigrants from Cuba and Colombia into prostitutionFour victims (three women and one man) were released and four members of the group were arrested.
  • The traffickers took advantage of the victims' irregular status and economic need, keeping them under surveillance and coercing them (even forcing them to sell drugs to clients).
  • This operation proves that Certain criminal networks in Europe recruit Cuban migrants. for sexual slavery, a serious human rights issue. Interpol also warned that some Cuban migrant women were handed over to criminal groups for sexual exploitation during the Balkan voyage. These situations are usually considered disappearances while the victim is held against their will until they can be rescued.

Networks trafficking and trade They have played an important role in Cuban emigration to Europe: they have facilitated the clandestine arrival of thousands of people, but exposing them to dangers ranging from forced disappearances, fraud and extortion, to modern slaveryEuropean authorities continue to investigate and prosecute these organizations to prevent further victims.

United Kingdom y France They have small Cuban communities and no relevant incidents of disappearances have been published (in the United Kingdom there have been cases of deportation of Cubans, but not disappearances).

Russia and Ukraine deserve special mention: although they are not the EU, many Cubans traveled to Russia in 2022-2023; Some disappeared after crossing into the EU via Belarus/Poland amid the 2021 migration crisis (without concrete data, but testimonies on social media suggest they have gone missing in border forests).

In addition, in 2023 a new one came to light recruitment network of Cubans for the Russian army; the disappearance of several young Cubans transferred to conflict zones in Ukraine was reported, although this goes beyond the usual migration framework and falls within the scope of human rights violations in the context of war.

Statistics, official reports

There is no official report indicating how many Cubans have disappeared in Europe, but various sources provide partial data:

• IOM (International Organization for Migration): It does not publish specific figures on missing Cubans in Europe. Its statistics focus on migration routes, not nationality. In 2021, more than 3.000 migrants disappeared in the Mediterranean, but it is presumed that few if any were Cubans, as they use routes such as Serbia and the Schengen Area. In contrast, in 2022, the IOM recorded 69 missing Cubans on routes to the United States.
• Interpol and Europol: Interpol does not publicly report missing Cubans. Disappearances are usually handled at the national level. Europol collaborates in operations against human trafficking, but does not provide data by nationality.
• National data: Germany reported nearly 300 Cubans who disappeared from the asylum system after registering between 2022 and 2023. Spain, home to the largest Cuban community in Europe, does not publish figures by nationality, although there are several documented cases. Italy has also had some isolated cases.
• NGOs and social networks: In the absence of official statistics, organizations such as SOS Desaparecidos and independent Cuban media outlets have monitored specific cases. These platforms help disseminate alerts, but do not provide consolidated figures.

A problem to be eradicated

The existence of criminal networks dedicated to trafficking and smuggling aggravates the situation, as it places many migrants in situations of extreme vulnerability and defenselessness, making their rescue or identification difficult.

Despite this, the response from authorities and communities has been significant. International operations (Interpol, Europol) have managed to dismantle organizations that indirectly contribute to these disappearances.

Cuban communities in the diaspora, for their part, have shown solidarity by spreading alerts and collaborating in searches, which has saved lives on more than one occasion. However, challenges persist The lack of unified data makes it difficult to gauge the true scope of the problem, and many families of missing persons remain without answers.

Human rights organizations and activists suggest strengthening the mechanisms of consular cooperation of Cuba with European countries in cases of missing persons, and expand the dissemination of the Interpol Yellow Notices for transnational cases.

They also insist on addressing the root causes: promoting safe and legal migration routes so that Cubans do not turn to traffickers, and ensuring that migrant communities have access to psychological and social support (reducing the risk of voluntary disappearances or those due to mental illness).

Sources: This report is based on data from the IOM, Interpol/Europol releases, news agencies (EFE, Europa Press) and reliable media such as El País, OnCubaNews, CiberCuba, Swissinfo, among others. All figures and cases cited are supported by these primary sources, referenced throughout the text.