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A large police presence was established on Friday in the La Mariposa neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba, as part of a search operation targeting several young individuals allegedly involved in domestic oil thefts.
According to neighbors who spoke to reporter Yosmany Mayeta, there has been an unusual presence of patrols, officials, and constant activity near the Celia Sánchez Manduley textile factory and the oil factory in the José Martí district since the morning.
The operation raised concerns in the community, which is used to seeing security issues escalate before law enforcement arrives.
Residents of the neighborhood commented that the objective of the operation would be to locate several young men linked to groups that operate at night and that would be connected to the recent theft of several canisters of oil from the factory.
What has caused the most concern is that the extracted liquid had a strong smell of oil. This raised suspicions of possible tampering and fears about the risks it could pose for marketing for human consumption.
It is believed that the product was either mixed or contaminated before attempts were made to sell it in the informal market.
In the post, several users speculate that those responsible may have taken oil to sell it in containers previously contaminated with oil residues.
"They don't care about the damage it causes, it's all about the money," questioned an internet user.
"Nobody knows how many of us would get sick from that adulteration," emphasized another.
The tension has also spread to nearby neighborhoods, where residents claim that thefts and nighttime insecurity have been on the rise.
Many point out that this type of operation usually arrives when the problem is already out of control and the community lives in constant unease.
So far, there is no official report confirming detentions, seizures, or concrete results from the operation. The authorities have not provided public information on how many people were searched for or if any actual arrests were made.
The lack of official information has left room for rumors and conjecture, fueling the mistrust of the neighbors, who are demanding greater transparency and preventive actions, not just one-off operations when the situation is already critical.
The case brings to light once again the combination of insecurity, illegal markets, and the deterioration of living conditions in underserved neighborhoods, where residents are caught between scarcity, crime, and uncertainty.
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