In Matanzas, a citizen with over four decades of subscription to the state press has had to become an advocate, a whistleblower, and a prosecutor against a postal system that not only fails to fulfill its service but also allows a mail carrier to turn newspapers into merchandise for informal sale, while the institutional apparatus turns a blind eye.
The neighbor María del Carmen Andreu Delgado, residing in the so-called Athens of Cuba, claims that the situation began to deteriorate since November 2024.
At that moment, a new mail carrier took over the route previously covered by "an efficient worker in the union who created a ledger to maintain absolute control over his clients, and then left it in the hands of the new distributor," Andreu recounted in a letter addressed to the section Apartado 1433 of the official newspaper Girón.
After the departure of the previous mail carrier, everything fell apart. Despite multiple complaints, he visited the post office administrator on Medio Street and the representative of the postal area in Versailles, but nothing changed, which was an "unequivocal sign of administrative neglect."
The new postman continued to neglect his duty until Carmen caught him selling 20 Girón newspapers to a single buyer for five pesos each, carrying a backpack full of copies.
With this discovery, what were merely suspicions turned into evidence. The affected individual went back to the Provincial Postal Directorate and reported the ongoing financial speculation: a state employee charging for a service that is not provided, and reselling public goods for personal gain.
Although after the scandal there were “slight changes” and the mailman came to collect for March and delivered some copies, the newspaper Juventud Rebelde on Sundays continues to vanish without explanation.
Carmen bitterly wonders who the recipient of the newspaper she pays for but never receives will be.
Therefore, he demands to be allowed to collect his subscription directly at the Pediatric Hospital's office, as other citizens do, to avoid continuing to be a victim of a corrupt, inefficient, and complicit system.
Meanwhile, the postal authorities, warned for months, still do not provide a public response or resolve a problem that affects basic rights and that is quietly recurring in many other corners of the country.
In recent months, the official press has tried to highlight improvements in the services of the state-run Empresa de Correos de Cuba, but reports of over 4,000 accumulated shipments, complaints of lost items, and the saturation caused by new imports such as electric motorcycles demonstrate otherwise.
With a system that remains collapsed, Correos de Cuba has tried to justify the slowness of its services by citing a combination of structural obstacles, overloaded goods, external delays, and a lack of basic resources.
Weeks ago, the entity acknowledged that only 0.02% of more than 745,000 shipments managed between 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 were reported as altered, stolen, or lost. Nevertheless, it shifted the responsibility towards postal and customs operators, claiming that the shipments pass through foreign and Cuban hands before arriving in the country.
While official reports highlight the decrease in claims and logistical improvements, structural issues persist, with high demands as the population continues to report delays and, especially, the theft of contents in packages, which undermines the official narrative of the regime.
In May, the parcel service of Correos de Cuba was scrutinized once again due to a public complaint from a Cuban citizen residing in Santa Marta, Matanzas, who received aluminum profiles instead of the two Philips televisions she had sent from Panama.
During the same month, news emerged that the Post Office office in the municipality of Viñales, Pinar del Río, had been turned into a kind of "correocuevita": a sales point for basic products and other goods, amidst the scarcity and lack of income of the entity.
Frequently Asked Questions about Corruption and Issues in Correos de Cuba
Why is the state press being sold clandestinely in Matanzas?
The clandestine sale of state newspapers in Matanzas arises due to corruption within the postal system, where a mailman turns newspapers into merchandise for informal sale. Although this is known to the authorities, no effective measures have been taken to stop it, reflecting administrative neglect. This issue is yet another example of the inefficiency and corruption that characterizes the Cuban socialist regime.
What problems does the postal service of Cuba face?
Cuban Post is facing structural issues, delays in delivery, and theft of contents in packages, which undermines the official narrative of improvements in the service. Although the entity tries to justify these problems by citing structural obstacles and a lack of resources, the reality is that the system is collapsed and effective solutions have not been provided to the multiple complaints from citizens.
What actions has the Cuban government taken in response to the allegations of corruption at Correos de Cuba?
The Cuban government has shown an insufficient and evasive response to allegations of corruption in Correos de Cuba. Although the entity has acknowledged issues such as delays and theft, it has shifted responsibility towards postal and customs operators, without fully assuming its own responsibility. This kind of response reflects a lack of political will to address corruption and improve postal services on the island.
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