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The National Revolutionary Police (PNR) reported the recovery of 14 mattresses intended for families affected by Hurricane Melissa, which were stolen from a storage facility of the Department of Education in the Guantanamo municipality of Niceto Pérez.
According to a report this Saturday from Radio Guantánamo, based on information released on December 14 by the official Facebook profile Guantánamo y su Verdad, associated with the Ministry of Interior (Minint), the operation resulted in locating the items during a search of a home in the center of the city of Guantánamo, at the intersection of Moncada and Emilio Giro streets.
In addition to the mattresses, pencils, a tarpaulin, and other school supplies were seized.
The authorities confirmed the arrest of several individuals allegedly linked to the theft and stated that the investigation remains open to clarify additional responsibilities.
The Minint did not provide details about potential failures in the custody of the warehouse or the expected date for the distribution of the recovered aid.
On social media, however, the public's reaction went beyond the police incident.
Numerous users questioned why the mattresses remained in storage weeks after Hurricane Melissa instead of being distributed to the victims.
The comments point to bureaucratic delays, diversions, and responsibilities that, according to public perception, are not limited to the direct perpetrators of the theft.
For many people in Guantánamo, the episode not only reveals a common crime but also a structural failure in the management and distribution of humanitarian aid, where administrative delays ultimately facilitate the diversion of resources intended for those in greatest need.
In November, it was revealed that authorities in Guantánamo were distributing free mattresses from donations, but at the same time, they would sell more than a thousand and a half of these supplies from the state reserve for 3,730 pesos to victims of Hurricane Melissa.
For his part, the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel requested the inhabitants of Santiago de Cuba to exercise "popular control" over the delivery of donations, due to doubts and questions regarding the proper distribution of aid and the potential misappropriation of resources.
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