Related videos:
The Citizen Portal of Havana published an official denial in recent hours regarding a message circulating among private transporters in the capital, which announced a supposed in-person census to manage a fuel allocation quota with the Ministry of Transportation (MITRANS).
Mario Herrera, from the Content Management Team of the portal, was emphatic: "A new 'rumor' is circulating about a supposed census for transporters in Havana, concerning fuel allocation by the city government. The information is FALSE (FakeNews)."
The false message, which was circulating in chains among drivers, called for an in-person meeting in the parking lot of the Ciudad Deportiva de La Habana for this Tuesday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 7, at 10:00 a.m.
The text requested that transporters present their identification card, valid Transportation Operating License (LOT), and vehicle registration, and recommended bringing photocopies to expedite the process.
The stated objective in the message was to "determine the number of private transporters in Havana with approved regular service in their LOT for the purpose of organizing fuel supply based on the request made to MITRANS, which will be evaluated with the government of the capital and other entities, managing the possibility of approval of an allocation quota for these licenses."
The Citizen Portal fully reproduced the false text so that citizens could identify it, and made it clear that neither the Government of Havana nor MITRANS supports any census or fuel allocation quota for private transporters.
The false message about the census also included a call to share: "Notify your friend or colleague about the census; they might not have heard," a tactic designed to maximize its reach among drivers desperately seeking access to fuel.
Unprecedented fuel crisis in Cuba
The rapid spread of the false message is not coincidental: Cuba has been experiencing its worst fuel crisis in decades since late 2025, exacerbated by the suspension of oil shipments from Venezuela in December of that year and the disruption of supplies from Pemex on January 9, 2026.
In that context of extreme scarcity, the price of gasoline on the informal market reached 4,000 Cuban pesos -about eight dollars- in Havana, as reported by independent journalist Camila Acosta, while in other areas of the country it reached 5,000 pesos.
The official sale at CUPET gas stations is limited to a maximum of twenty liters per person, available only in dollars, with wait times of up to 26 hours in line.
In this atmosphere of desperation, rumors about possible fuel allocations find fertile ground to spread among private transporters who see their activities paralyzed by the lack of gasoline.
The proliferation of scams and illegal networks surrounding fuel is a constant issue.
On March 28, a day before the denial, the Cuban police detained 16 people at CUPET service stations in the municipalities of Playa and Plaza de la Revolución for illegal sale of service appointments and fuel hoarding.
In that operation, one of those involved in Plaza de la Revolución was found with 62,000 Cuban pesos and 20 dollars in cash, resulting from the illegal sale of fuel appointments.
The individuals under investigation were using rented vehicles from the company TRANSTUR to simulate legality, which led that entity to implement mileage and consumption controls.
Filed under: