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Travelers passing through the Quesada crossroads, located on the Central Highway about eight kilometers east of the city of Ciego de Ávila, are reporting on social media a rise in thefts, assaults, and attacks at this mandatory stop. They accuse agents of the National Revolutionary Police of remaining at the site without intervening, seemingly complicit with the criminals.
The most recent report was posted by user Danilo García in the Facebook group ACCIDENTES BUSES & CAMIONES for more experience and fewer victims!, where he detailed being personally robbed at that location, while at least six officers were about 50 meters away, with a jeep and a patrol car available.
According to García, the only response from the agents was: "You have to go to Ciego and file the report; we can’t do anything here."
"Every day, robberies and assaults are becoming more frequent and more violent at the 'famous' Quesada cruise," wrote García, who also accuses the street vendors in the area of acting as accomplices by distracting travelers for a few seconds to facilitate the theft.
The reporter concluded his post with a direct warning to those traveling that route. "Do not stop in that place, especially at night even if you see 100 police officers at the intersection. Do not buy anything there. If you stop, do not leave the car unattended for even a second, even if it is locked, because they are experts at forcing the doors in seconds."
The comments on the post confirm an organized and chronic pattern. The user Yordan Dominguez recounted that a few years ago, the trunk of his car was opened in that same location around 5:00 am, and when he chased the thieves, he found the road blocked with stones.
He also pointed out that there was a UAZ jeep parked at the intersection "to confuse drivers and make them stop," which is when the criminals act.
Alfredo Martinez was emphatic in stating that "this has been happening for years in that place and no one is doing anything."
For his part, Freddy Domínguez, who identifies as a former truck driver, agreed that "in Quesada it always happens the same way, with thefts and assaults happening in front of the police; they are accomplices of the criminals."
The problem is not new. On February 1, 2023, six thieves assaulted a Transtur bus on the same trip at around 7:10 p.m., stealing passengers' luggage.
A victim who attempted to chase them was hit with stones, and the police who arrived refused to pursue the assailants, arguing that they could not leave the patrol car unattended.
This pattern of inaction is repeated in other parts of the country. In August 2025, criminals stole briefcases from a Transtur bus on the Vía Blanca while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, using a crowbar to force open the trunk.
In March 2025, three individuals were captured trying to steal luggage on a bus on the Havana-Camagüey route; one was hiding inside a suitcase in the vehicle's compartment.
Insecurity in Ciego de Ávila is part of an unprecedented national crime crisis. The Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory recorded 721 robberies in the first six months of 2025, surpassing all recorded in 2024 and nearly five times the figures from 2023, with the central province being one of the most affected.
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