MIAMI (VINnews) — Raúl G. Rodríguez Castro, the 42-year-old grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, has become a central intermediary in secret negotiations between Havana and the Trump administration and is being discussed as a possible future leader of Cuba, according to a New York Times report.

The Interior Ministry colonel, long known primarily as his grandfather’s bodyguard and personal aide, has never held elected public office. Yet he has recently met separately with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the two governments pursue talks aimed at easing U.S. sanctions.

His name has also surfaced in discussions among some U.S. officials as someone Washington might find acceptable to lead Cuba, the Times reported.

Rodríguez Castro first drew public notice a decade ago during his grandfather’s state visit to France. As Raúl Castro walked a red carpet at the Élysée Palace, the younger man stayed so close that French honor guards and then-President François Hollande signaled him to step back.

Over time his role expanded. People familiar with Cuba’s leadership told the Times that he evolved into a trusted political aide who attended nearly every important meeting involving his grandfather, including sessions with Pope Francis.

His rising profile comes despite allegations that he helped protect a major smuggling network operating between Cuba, Mexico and the United States. Two men convicted in the case, known as the “Cuban Mafia in Quintana Roo,” accused Rodríguez Castro of facilitating the movement of illicit goods and migrants and of receiving luxury items — including a speedboat, a Rolex watch, a motorcycle and designer clothing — in return. Prosecutors examined text messages and recordings that allegedly supported the claims.

Rodríguez Castro has never been charged. Senior Cuban officials dismissed the accusations as “slander.” Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío told the Times there is “no link with the Cuban government.”

People who have spoken with Rodríguez Castro say he has made little secret of his ambition to become Cuba’s president one day. Whether he commands enough support inside the country’s political and military leadership remains unclear.

He is the son of Raúl Castro’s eldest daughter, Déborah Castro Espín, and the late Gen. Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, who built the powerful military-run conglomerate GAESA. Within Cuba he is sometimes known as “El Cangrejo” — the Crab.

In a recent interview with USA Today, Rodríguez Castro addressed criticism of his lifestyle, which has included luxury clothing and high-end vehicles. “It pains me that many people can’t live the way I do,” he said. “And I’m working every day to change that situation.”

Arturo López-Levy, a research associate at the University of Denver and Rodríguez Castro’s second cousin, told the Times the former bodyguard has matured politically. “He has not been outside the door; he has been inside every meeting.”