Vital CIA Mole in Cuba, Held Long After Cold War

An undated handout photo of Rolando Sarraff Trujillo. Sarraff has now been released from prison and flown out of Cuba as part of a swap for three Cuban spies imprisoned in the US. (Handout via The New York Times)

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Hours later, the office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a statement saying the information from Sarraff - the statement did not name him - had helped the government arrest and convict several Cuban spies inside the United States. The convictions included a senior analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency named Ana Belen Montes; former Department of State official Walter Kendall Myers and his spouse Gwendolyn Myers; and members of the Red Avispa network, or Wasp Network, in Florida.

Multiple news accounts in recent years have identified Sarraff as a former Cuban intelligence officer who had been imprisoned. The accounts named him as a possible candidate to be released if the United States and Cuba were ever to agree to a spy swap.

But Vilma Sarraff said that if her brother had in fact collaborated with U.S. intelligence agencies to help snare Cuban agents living in the United States, it was certainly not something he ever discussed with his family.

"If what they are saying is true, fine, he paid that debt with 20 years in prison," she said.

Vilma Sarraff said her brother was in solitary confinement for 18 years. An avid painter and poet, he was not permitted any painting supplies or other distractions. He was also denied parole, she said.

She said that her brother had been calling his family regularly from prison, but that they had not heard from him in several days. She said her family had been told Sarraff had been released from prison, but had not heard directly that he was part of a prisoner exchange.

She said she had no idea where he was.

"They did not say where they had taken him," she said, becoming irate.

"How is it possible that they take my brother out of the country without telling his parents? My parents are at the point where my father is likely to have a heart attack!"

Speaking by phone from Havana, Sarraff's father, also named Rolando, said "this is not a moment of happiness - it's panic."

"I have gone three days without knowing the whereabouts of my son," he said. He confirmed that he had once worked for Cuba's intelligence service.

As both Sarraff's family and friends wait to hear from him, his former partner in espionage said Sarraff gave up his freedom for a cause he believed in.

"Here's what I can tell you about Roly: He is a person who loves liberty. He was jailed unjustly," Cohen said.

"He sacrificed his life. When he gets here, he will tell his story."
© 2014, The New York Times News Service
Story First Published: December 19, 2014 07:44 IST
Vital CIA Mole in Cuba, Held Long After Cold War