A Cuban identified as Tania García posted a video on Facebook denouncing the chaos and the mafias involved in fuel supply in Havana, where she claims that her entire day was consumed in "stomping for gasoline" and fighting in line.
In his testimony, García describes a situation that he qualifies as "madness": drivers must call the day before to get a number in line, only 20 liters per person are dispensed, there are only three gas stations selling fuel throughout the capital, and even paying does not guarantee being able to refuel.
"And this is the reality of getting gasoline, the desperation to fill just 20 liters and then it's impossible to move forward because they mark from the day before and only give certain types of numbers. In three gas stations in Havana that only dispense gasoline, not even paying ensures you can fill up," the Cuban woman stated.
In the black market, García points out, the price is around 10 dollars per liter, a figure that starkly contrasts with the Cuban minimum wage of 2,100 pesos per month.
The fuel crisis that Cuba has been experiencing since late 2025 has worsened in the first months of this year due to the interruption of oil shipments from Venezuela, the suspension of supplies from Pemex on January 9, 2026, and the executive order from President Donald Trump on January 29, which threatened tariffs on countries that supply fuel to the island.
The country needs more than 100,000 barrels per day but produces only 40% of what it consumes.
In February, the corporation Cimex implemented the digital system "Ticket" for reserving slots at gas stations, with sales exclusively in dollars — between 1.10 and 1.30 dollars per liter — and a limit of 20 liters per vehicle. However, the waiting lists reached between 7,000 and 15,000 requests per station, with only 50 to 90 vehicles attended to each day.
The result is a flourishing black market and organized mafias that control the supply. The price in the informal market soared from between 700 and 1,500 pesos per liter in January to between 4,000 and 6,000 pesos —equivalent to between eight and ten dollars— in recent weeks. One Cuban was reported to have paid 18,000 pesos for just three liters of gasoline.
The authorities have responded with operations: on March 29, 16 people were arrested for the illegal sale of fuel at gas stations in Playa and Plaza de la Revolución. Despite this, the shortage continues, and residents of Havana are still facing waits of up to 26 hours to refuel just 20 liters.
The Cuban government has described the energy situation as "Option Zero", referencing the Special Period of the 1990s, as it awaits new shipments of Russian fuel to alleviate a crisis that, according to García, makes the simple act of refueling an exhausting ordeal: "If you ask me what I did today, I only danced around the gas pump and fought in line."
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