Why is Cuba so corrupt? (Arrested in Cuba)

I am posting this with personal experience, knowing of someone who was just arrested there for simply being an American. They are now demanding money in return for this person's release. I won't give any more details out, but it's a bad situation. With no embassy there, I don't know what they're going to do.

Cuba was in a terrible state before Castro (being basically a mob puppet state), but they traded incompetent puppets for Authoritarian nutters. You know a country is pretty bad when they have to arrest people for trying to leave, or going in the wrong area. In this case, it was just a family trying to meet up with their relatives.

Fingers crossed. :(


On edit: Has anyone heard of this happening before? The details are a little sketchy to me. Apparently it was for going to a "non-foreigner hotel," or something like that. I don't know too much about Cuba.

I hope they get out ok.