Police operation at 100 and Boyeros ends with 10 arrests and hefty fines

A police operation in the commercial area of the 100 and Boyeros Bridge resulted in 10 arrests and fines ranging from 16,000 to 32,000 pesos, as confirmed by Tribuna de La Habana, the official newspaper of the Communist Party in Havana.

For many residents, the scene recalled the raid of 2022, when state intervention left the area "ordered," yes, but also emptier and with higher prices, a direct blow to the pockets of those who rely on the informal market to survive the crisis.

The current deployment involved the participation of the Revolutionary National Police (PNR), the Comprehensive Supervision and Control Directorate (DISC), the National Institute of Land Management and Urban Planning (INOTU), and the General Directorate of Transportation of Havana.

According to Ernesto Ramírez Téllez from the Boyeros Government, the goal was to tackle "illegal activities" and reorganize the area. The operation included defining the parking spaces, controlling access points, and addressing the presence of wandering minors in the zone, where a permanent Command Post was also established.

But behind the institutional discourse, the concern on the streets is different. The candonga of the 100 Bridge, a chaotic, noisy, and vibrant space, where everything from food to medicine, clothing, or household items is sold, is also an economic lifeline for thousands of Cubans who can no longer find alternatives in the state market.

Here, amidst shoving and haggling, the first piece of advice is to "hold on to your wallet," as thefts are common; yet people still come, because prices remain more affordable than at other places.

The last time the government "established order," in 2022, the supply collapsed and the few available products became even more expensive, as also reported by Tribuna de La Habana. "Now we are left with nothing," lamented the people of Havana at that time.

The fear is that history will repeat itself. That the raid will not only result in arrests but also fewer options for sustenance, less access to medication, and fewer opportunities for a people who find ways to endure the crisis every day.

For now, the market remains open. But people know that any raid could leave it empty again. And the fear isn't of the police. It's of being left without a place to shop once more.