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The police arrested a Cuban in Holguín in possession of a load of medications controlled by the country's health authorities due to their drug-like effects, which were intended for illegal sale, according to official sources.
Sergio Suárez Fuentes was intercepted by police officers in the Sanfield neighborhood of Holguín, in possession of regulated pharmaceuticals according to the Resolution 25/2022 of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), such as amitriptyline, trifluoperazine, and dimenhydrinate, according to information published by provincial press and official profiles on social media.
The Facebook account “Cazador-Cazado”, linked to the Ministry of the Interior (Minint), announced on Friday the news about the arrest and cautioned that, in light of the shortage of medications in Cuba, “the way to solve it will never be through invention, theft, or diversion to line one’s pockets.”
"The needs cannot make us accomplices of wrongdoing," the publication declared.
The local newspaper ¡Ahora! also reported on the incident - although without identifying the arrested individual - as one of several cases of illegal drug distribution that are classified as drug trafficking offenses, according to the Cuban Penal Code.
The aforementioned resolution from MINSAP establishes national control and the procedure for the prescription of about 30 substances that are considered to have effects similar to drugs.
Suárez's arrest occurred during one of the operations last week in the province of Holguín, which are part of the national anti-drug offensive initiated by the government.
In police raids in the eastern province, 69 people were arrested and 16 are charged with drug trafficking. An additional 53 were officially warned by the police “due to their propensity to commit such acts,” while preventive measures were taken against dozens of citizens, according to official information.
In total, the authorities "acted" against 369 individuals during the "exercise for the prevention and confrontation of drugs," which included inspections of 13 pharmacies in several municipalities, where "irregularities" were detected and measures were imposed on 11 workers.
During the operations, a total of 19 packages of marijuana, “the chemical,” and hashish were seized, along with numerous blister packs of medications, including several controlled substances (amitriptyline, trifluoperazine, diphenhydramine, etc.).
The Cuban regime has intensified its campaign against drug trafficking in the country, a phenomenon that has increased in recent years to unprecedented levels, as the economic and social crisis in the country has worsened.
The justice authorities have intensified penalties for drug trafficking with sentences of up to 30 years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty.
In February of last year, the police dismantled an illegal drug warehouse in a house in Manzanillo, Granma province, where Cuban-origin medications were being sold without the proper legal documentation. During the raid, the Cuban citizen Kleisy Suárez was arrested.
The shortage of medications in Cuba is one of the most serious problems facing the population, affecting both chronic patients and those requiring urgent treatments. This has led many patients to turn to informal alternatives - the black market, donations from abroad, or exchanges with others - to obtain essential drugs such as antibiotics, pain relievers, and others for chronic illnesses, as the State does not meet the demand for medicines.
In December, the government acknowledged that they were missing more than 70% of essential medications. Of the 651 products that make up the Basic Drug List, 461 were at that time either completely out of stock or in low supply, according to official information.
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