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Neighbors of the neighborhood San Francisco de Paula, in the Havana municipality San Miguel del Padrón, have reported the critical situation they face daily in the area known as "callejón del Chenal."
According to a report sent to the crime reporter, Niover Licea, this passage has turned into a daily scene of violent assaults, synthetic drug use - especially the so-called "chemical" - and the alleged operation of an illegal business linked to the sale of these substances.
One of the images sent shows a person lying on the ground, completely out of control, under the influence of the chemical.
This powerful narcotic—consumed in the form of adulterated cigarettes—has been ravaging the Cuban youth for months and contributing to the social decay of entire neighborhoods.
Additionally, the neighbors claim that there is a sort of clandestine small and medium-sized enterprise operating in the alley dedicated to the illegal drug trade.
"They call it the MIPYME of the chemist because everyone there knows what's going on and no one does anything," warns a resident.
The authorities, it is reported, have turned a deaf ear to the repeated complaints from the community. Fear, helplessness, and frustration have driven citizens to turn to independent media in search of a response.
“We are tired. We want safety, we want justice. We don’t want this alley to keep claiming victims,” wrote one of the complainants.
Consumption, violence, and impunity
The Chenal alley has reportedly become an open drug consumption hotspot, especially for synthetic drugs, with young people—many of them minors—roaming the area.
"They are left like zombies, lying on the sidewalk, with foam in their mouths, unable to move," a neighbor reported.
The danger is constant, especially for schoolchildren who cross the area to reach the basic secondary school in the neighborhood.
In addition to consumption, violence is also part of the picture. There are reports of daylight assaults and thefts in public spaces, with the police not intervening.
"Criminals act with complete impunity, as if they know nothing will happen to them," expressed another resident.
"Where is the police?"
In the comments section, many internet users agreed in pointing out the inaction of the authorities as part of the problem.
"The police are not here for this. They only show up when someone shouts 'Patria y Vida.' Here in Cuba, the police do not protect the citizen; they repress them. You call them for an assault, and they don't come. But if you say there is an opponent protesting, they arrive in five minutes," commented two internet users.
Some neighbors suggest that there are deeper complicities behind the chemist's business.
"If they haven't stopped it, it's because there’s someone influential behind it," speculated an internet user.
Others claim that "this is not just in San Francisco; throughout Havana, there are points of sale and no one does anything."
Many of the comments also focused on reflecting how present-day Cuba contrasts with the one they remember from decades past.
Although there are differences in political opinions, there is unanimous consensus regarding the seriousness of the situation at this time.
“Before, you could go out at night, even as a minor. Now, it's scary just to cross the street,” lamented a woman.
"The children were sacred, education was sacred... now what we have is a hell," remarked two other users. "There is no control over anything. We are adrift."
Also emerging are the voices of mothers who anxiously deal with their children's addiction to these substances: “Many mothers are suffering because of the chemical. Our children are lost, and nobody is doing anything.” Youth as a silent victim
The chemical —as an accessible and devastating street drug— has become one of the most visible faces of the social collapse affecting the Island.
"They are young people from dysfunctional neighborhoods, without guidance, without a future. The State offers them nothing, and drugs consume them," wrote a commentator. The result: a youth trapped between marginalization, crime, and institutional neglect.
The community of San Francisco de Paula is calling for protection. They demand a real police presence, the dismantling of drug sales points, and concrete actions to safeguard their children, their homes, and their environment.
The denunciation of the Chenal alley is not an isolated story. It is a portrait of a wounded Cuba, trapped in a cycle of marginality, drugs, and violence that thrives under the indifference of official authorities. The voice of its citizens, although desperate, does not lose hope that someone will listen. And take action. Because if not now, when?
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