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On the same day that a passenger publicly reported the theft of her mother's belongings at the Frank País García International Airport in Holguín, the Cuban regime awarded that very terminal the Flag of Labor Achievement, the highest union recognition in the country.
The award was conferred this Wednesday by the Cuban Workers' Center (CTC), through the National Union of Transport and Ports Workers, in recognition of the resumption of operations following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.
Dayamí Reyes Silva, general secretary of the Provincial Bureau of the union, explained that the recognition is due to "the institution's ability to respond after the impact of the meteorological phenomenon in the eastern part of the country, an effort that made it possible to restore national and international flight services just three days after the event."
The hurricane Melissa, a category 3, made landfall on October 29, 2025, with sustained winds of up to 195 km/h and affected more than 140,000 people just in the province of Holguín.
However, a day before the awards ceremony, Angélica Peña posted on Facebook that her mother's suitcase had been looted at that airport: two Cuban perfumes, four boxes of thick cigars, and an envelope with housing ownership documents were taken.
The suitcase arrived lighter than usual and with the zipper showing signs of tampering.
"Clearly, the person who opened the suitcase thought there was money inside, and if there had been, they would have stolen that too," Peña wrote.
The complaint did not stop at the specific incident. "It’s very frustrating that things like this are left unresolved. How many more people are experiencing the same thing?" they questioned.
The contrast between official recognition and citizen denunciation illustrates the gap between the regime's institutional discourse and the reality faced by travelers at Cuban airports.
The theft of luggage at airports on the Island is a recurring and documented issue. In March 2025, the luggage of an elderly woman arrived from Miami two days late, opened and pillaged of medications at José Martí Airport in Havana. Similar cases have also been reported at Abel Santamaría Airport in Santa Clara.
In none of those cases were the results of investigations or sanctions against those responsible made known.
Angélica Peña concluded her post with a direct warning: "Please, to all people traveling to Cuba: be very careful with your belongings, especially when sending luggage. We cannot continue normalizing this type of situation."
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