Cuba Travel Scam Families Say They Lost Up to US$6,000
MIGRATION · CUBA
Key Facts
- —The country Cuba, where many people are trying to emigrate. One route to Brazil runs by air to Guyana, then overland from Lethem into Bonfim, in Brazil’s Roraima state.
- —What happened On 1 October 2026 the independent outlet elTOQUE published complaints from Cuban families against a travel agency called La Reina del Sur. CiberCuba relayed them on 3 October.
- —Who is involved elTOQUE says the agency trades as Travelsa LTDA, registered in Brazil on 24 October 2025, and names María del Mar Ojeda Fuentes, based in Minas, Camagüey, as the person behind it. Her mother is the registered manager.
- —What it means for you Complainants told elTOQUE they paid US$4,050 to US$6,000 upfront per family. Large advance payments to informal migration intermediaries carry a real risk of loss.
- —Still open No court has found wrongdoing. Ojeda Fuentes declined formal comment, and Brazil’s Federal Police has not publicly linked the agency to any investigation (as of 3 October).
Several Cuban families are making Cuba travel scam claims against an agency that sold them packaged trips to Brazil through Guyana. They say they paid thousands of dollars upfront and got shifting dates, missing tickets or new fees, elTOQUE reported on 1 October.
The agency, La Reina del Sur, has not been charged, and the woman named as its operator denies people trafficking. The accusations come from customers and have not been tested in court.
What the families say they paid
Lisi Velásquez, a Cuban living in Brazil, told elTOQUE her relatives paid in Minas, Camagüey, on 3 June 2026. Their flight moved from 4 July to 18 July, then to 26 July from Havana.
She says nobody met them at Georgetown airport, although pickup was part of the deal. At the border, she says, the crossing organisers demanded payment again, and the group raised another US$1,850.
A mother from Camagüey told elTOQUE she paid US$4,200 in May for herself and two daughters. Her tickets never arrived, and she says she spent over US$700 waiting in Havana.
Yulia Barrios said in a Facebook video that she paid US$4,050 for six people. She and her two children left in late July, but three relatives remain in Cuba without tickets.
Miguel Orlando Montero says he paid US$6,000 for his family of four. His flight was pushed from 6 July to 17 July and then to 3 August, and the family never left.
The agency’s response
elTOQUE says it obtained a recording, made on 25 August, of Ojeda Fuentes speaking with an unhappy client. In it she says the agency does not refund money and calls promotional tickets “like a waiting list”.
She also denies people trafficking, saying her travellers enter Brazil with a Federal Police stamp. Asked by elTOQUE for a formal response, she said she would not comment.
elTOQUE says it matched the voice against her public videos using voice-analysis tools. The Cuba travel scam claims also include alleged threats when families asked for refunds, which remain unproven.
How the Guyana route works
Cubans heading to Brazil this way usually fly to Georgetown, Guyana, then travel by road to Lethem. From there they cross into Bonfim, in the northern Brazilian state of Roraima.
Guyana’s foreign ministry visa list exempts only Cuban diplomatic, official and service passports, though other official pages differ. CiberCuba says ordinary passport holders need an approval letter before flying.
Other exits from Cuba have narrowed this year, as covered in Nicaragua Shuts Cuba’s Main Migration Route to the U.S. as Ortega-Murillo Scramble to Appease Trump. For the wider picture, see Cuba Explained 2026: The Economy, the Exodus, the System and What to Watch.
Brazil is policing the corridor
Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) launched Operation Trapaceiros on 23 July to investigate an alleged migrant-smuggling scheme between Lethem and Bonfim. Agents served two search warrants issued by a federal court in Boa Vista.
The PF says the case began in July 2022 with the arrest of two people transporting migrants. G1 reported on 24 July that more than 200 people had been rescued on that border this year.
The PF statement does not name La Reina del Sur, Travelsa or Ojeda Fuentes. Brazil’s Justice Ministry told elTOQUE it cannot discuss individual investigations.
Under Brazilian law, promoting illegal migration for profit carries two to five years in prison and a fine. It is a separate offence from human trafficking, which requires exploitation of the victims.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is unclear how many customers paid the agency, or how much money the Cuba travel scam claims involve. The amounts come from a handful of complainants and have not been independently verified.
Velásquez says she has filed a formal complaint in Brazil, and its status is unknown. Police in Minas, the PF and Roraima police had not answered elTOQUE’s questions by publication.
Sources: elTOQUE, 1 October 2026; CiberCuba, 3 October 2026; Polícia Federal, 23 July 2026; G1 Roraima, 24 July 2026; Guyana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa list. All amounts in US$ as stated by complainants.
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief