There have been 48 thefts in warehouses in Las Tunas in the first half of 2024.

A total of 48 robberies were committed in the warehouses of the province of Las Tunas during the first half of the year, mainly concentrated in the capital area and in the municipality of Puerto Padre, with a significant increase in the months of July and August.

The municipalities of Las Tunas and Puerto Padre account for 73 percent of the reported thefts with force during the first six months of the year, according to the official Periódico 26.

In a meeting between government leaders, the Party, and executives of Commerce and Gastronomy, it was acknowledged that thefts in the warehouses have occurred due to vulnerabilities unresolved by the regime.

The authorities of the Ministry of the Interior justified the destination of the stolen products, stating "the high prices at which they are sold in various private enterprises," and affirmed that this "facilitates their rapid sale in the informal market."

They also emphasized that "this situation encourages tolerance and prevents the appropriate complaints from being made," holding the people responsible for the regime's ineffectiveness in capturing the culprits.

Aimara Pérez Sobrino, chief prosecutor in Las Tunas, justified the regime's lack of action by stating that “the inaction of all those involved in these issues is one of the factors that enables such wrongdoing to occur.”

Finally, he emphasized that these criminal acts are mostly committed by young people and acknowledged that “negligence and lack of action prevail in each of the investigations conducted.”

The ineffectiveness of the government of Las Tunas in solving the problem of thefts in the stores is not new.

In 2023, 97 thefts were reported in these units, causing significant losses and leaving many families without their basic products.

Raymel Espinosa Saborit, director of Commerce in Las Tunas, told Periódico 26 that the thefts have caused an economic impact of more than two million pesos in the eight municipalities of the province.

The news portal stated that among the stolen products were more than 43,900 pounds of brown sugar, 2,900 pounds of refined sugar, 30,000 pounds of rice, 927 liters of oil, more than 1,000 packages of coffee, and 1,180 pounds of beans.

These criminal acts are also related to a rise in violence in that eastern province, which has kept the citizenry on edge.

This situation is not only happening in Las Tunas; there are reports of thefts in warehouses across all provinces of the country. Recently, the theft of rationed food was reported in Santiago de Cuba, on Carretera Central at Kilometer 6, Las Cuevas.