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The Revolutionary National Police (PNR) organized a public event for the return of stolen goods at the Popular Council of Punta Gorda, Cienfuegos, which was broadcast with a triumphant tone by the Facebook page "Heroes in Blue in Cuba," linked to the Ministry of the Interior (MININT).
According to the report, on March 30 criminals broke into the home of a woman identified as Lourdes, stealing belongings and valuable items to sell in the informal market.
Thanks to information from a guard and the actions of two patrol cars, the PNR was able to identify one of the perpetrators, capture those involved, and recover all of the property.
The returned items included a flat-screen television, a soundbar, a tabletop fan, an electric rice cooker, bottles of liquor and oil, clothing, blankets, porcelain figurines, and a tea set.
The operation was led by Major Hansel Olmo from the Technical Investigations Directorate (DTI); First Lieutenant Yusmany Díaz, the sector chief; and Lieutenant Yenise Rojas, the instructor, who received diplomas at a public recognition ceremony.
The publication celebrated the outcome with heroic language: "When law enforcement and the people work together, they become an invincible force."
"Heroes in Blue in Cuba" is a tool for digital propaganda from MININT that amplifies routine police operations, presenting them as significant institutional victories, with mentions of officers by name and awards ceremonies.
The pattern is repeated systematically: last Tuesday, the same page published a similar event in Isla de la Juventud, where a stolen television was returned to a nursing home.
The neighborhood of Punta Gorda has a history that contradicts the image of efficiency that the regime tries to project: in January 2026, the PNR station located there was the victim of an arms robbery in which criminals disarmed the guards themselves.
An unprecedented security crisis
While the MININT organizes propaganda events, Cuba is experiencing an unprecedented security crisis. The Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit (OCAC) reported 2,833 verified crimes in 2025, a 115% increase compared to 2024, with theft as the predominant crime: 1,536 cases, a surge of 479% since 2023.
In April 2026, a family in Santiago de Cuba waited for more than ten hours without a police response after experiencing a robbery in their apartment, highlighting the contrast between official propaganda and the reality faced by Cubans.
The economic crisis —5% contraction of GDP in 2025 and a 15% cumulative decline since 2020— is the structural driver of crime, while 20% of police personnel are reported to have left the force in the past year, leaving entire areas without coverage.
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