While Havana sinks into the darkness of blackouts each night, some of the fuel intended to keep the country's generators running ended up in the tanks of the boat drivers.
This was revealed by a program on the state channel Canal Caribe, which exposed a network of theft and illegal diesel sales at power facilities in the capital, with the complicity of system workers and local residents.
The most serious case occurred at the Berroa generator, where, as explained by Lieutenant Colonel Asmel Rojas Águila, deputy chief of the economic-social department of the DTI of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), workers, brigade leaders, guards, and nearby residents collaborated to systematically siphon off fuel.
From two neighboring houses at the site, the stolen diesel was stored and sold to private transporters, including both legal and illegal boteros. The officer showed images of 20 and 25-liter tanks, cash, and mobile phones that served as evidence of the clandestine operation.
“By mutual agreement, workers, the crew chief, security agents, and neighbors took control of the fuel, which was then sold to boatmen,” specified the officer on the program Hacemos Cuba.
The Prosecutor's Office of Havana confirmed that the case is in the preparatory investigation phase and that those involved are facing charges of sabotage, a crime that, according to Cuban law, can be punished with sentences ranging from seven to thirty years in prison.
“For the damage it causes to the electric power system and to the people, these acts are classified as sabotage,” explained chief prosecutor Yudenia San Miguel Ramírez.
The television report also showcased other similar cases. In Güines, Mayabeque, small farmers traveled by cart or horseback to buy fuel siphoned from the generators, which is used to power turbines or plow the land.
In Habana 220, a diesel spill occurred on electrical cables, creating a fire hazard that, according to officials from the Electric Union, could have destroyed the entire site.
Rojas Águila himself revealed that, between January and August 2025, MININT recovered more than 350,000 liters of stolen fuel, although he acknowledged that a large part of the diversion is never recovered.
The generator and electrical services company and CUPET stated that they are reinforcing internal controls, while acknowledging that theft is difficult to detect and that in many cases, managers and custodians are involved.
During the broadcast, officials stressed that fuel theft not only has economic repercussions but also directly affects thousands of families who rely on those generators during power outages.
One liter of stolen diesel, they said, can mean hours of darkness for an entire neighborhood. According to official estimates, the 350,000 liters recovered would have been enough to supply 5,500 homes for a month.
At the end of the show, the host issued a warning that resonated beyond the studio:
"Stealing the resources of the people will always be a serious matter. But when it comes to the fuel that keeps the lights on for Cubans, the damage multiplies. The one who steals that fuel leaves us all in the dark."
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