A Cuban resident in Miami traveled to Havana with the intention of seeing her family, bringing with her five rechargeable fans—a resource that is now essential in households on the island to cope with constant blackouts and the sweltering hot nights.
The traveler, who arrived accompanied by another woman and a baby —a total of three passengers— was detained in the inspection area, where officials refused to allow the entry of the five fans and attempted to charge them for excess baggage.
They told her that only two fans were allowed per person, but since the other passenger and the baby were not with her at the time of the check-in, she was not allowed to bring in the five devices.
What was meant to be a simple family trip ended in a new episode of abuse and chaos at the General Customs of the Republic of Cuba. After a long wait in line and numerous discussions, the customs agents decided to confiscate three of the devices, citing alleged "import regulations."
The fans were placed under official custody, with the promise that they would be sent to the airport terminal from where the woman would return to Miami. However, upon arriving at the airport to catch her flight back, the appliances had disappeared.
"I refused to leave without my fans," the traveler recounted, visibly indignant. "I went straight to the Customs offices and demanded they return them to me. After an endless wait, it seemed like they just wanted me to miss my flight."
Faced with the delay, the Cuban woman decided to take a stand: “If I can’t travel today, I’ll change my ticket, but my fans are coming back with me to Miami,” she warned.
Finally, after hours of uncertainty, the officials agreed to return the equipment, but not before charging him 150 Cuban pesos for what they described as an "administrative procedure."
Back in the United States, the woman confirmed with relief: "I'm now at Miami airport and the fans are here with me."
The incident once again highlights the arbitrariness of Cuban Customs, which frequently imposes obstacles and excessive charges on travelers trying to bring basic goods to their relatives amid the severe energy and healthcare crisis the country is experiencing.
Meanwhile, on the island, power outages and a lack of ventilation worsen the situation for thousands of Cubans, who must confront the heat, mosquitoes, and exhaustion every night, with hardly any resources to endure it.
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