Cuban police arrested two people this Friday who allegedly stole about fifty gas canisters in Santiago de Cuba, of which more than 35 units were recovered.
The events were reported last Monday, September 23, on the social media of independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, who specified that the theft took place at the Micro 2 Sales Point in the Abel Santamaría neighborhood.
The official pro-government Facebook profile 'Héroes del Moncada' confirmed the arrest of two suspects allegedly involved in the reported events.
"With more than 35 gas cylinders in an apartment located in Micro 2 of the Abel Santamaría neighborhood, those responsible for the robbery of the local liquefied gas sales point were arrested," stated the profile linked to the repressive forces of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT).
The investigation remains open, and the authorities expect to recover all the stolen gas cylinders, some of which "have already been sold at excessive prices in the informal market."
"When a crime is committed that directly affects the people, the Revolutionary National Police do not rest until it is clarified. All the neighbors witnessed when the police arrived on the scene and [the suspects] were taken away," concluded Héroes del Moncada in their publication, mocking the alleged criminals, stating that "they thought they were smart."
Mayeta Labrada specified that "police patrol cars and several motorcycles stopped in the vicinity of a building in the area, where people allegedly involved in this robbery live."
Videos and photographs sent to the independent journalist showed the police presence in the area.
In mid-July, Mayeta Labrada reported another theft of gas canisters in Santiago de Cuba and shared on her social media the defiant statements of the alleged perpetrator, who had been arrested and released by the authorities.
"How many times I have to steal, I will keep stealing. Johnson, who is my family, is going to get me out on the street. It's me, Luis Vinent Zamora, alias Cajón," said the supposed thief after his release, shamelessly displaying an alleged family relationship with the first secretary of the Communist Party in Santiago de Cuba, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia.
"I demand that they search for and investigate the relationship of this gentleman with the Secretary of the PCC, to see what level of complicity she has with these events that affect the common Cuban. A fine, a warning letter, or any other mild sanction cannot be a punishment for these people," added Mayeta Labrada.
At the beginning of September, residents of Santiago de Cuba reported corruption in the sale of liquefied gas at the official points authorized in the province. "200 cylinders come in, but only 50 are dispatched and the rest are sold on the black market," said the affected individuals, neighbors from the El Cristo area in that city.
The complaints were raised by Mayeta Labrada, who stated that the diversion of gas cylinders for alleged sale in the black market generates outrage, discomfort, and exacerbates the crisis that users dependent on this fuel for cooking are experiencing, amidst the worst energy crisis in the history of Cuba.
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