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A worker from the Wholesale Food Marketing Company (EMPA) in the municipality of Jiguaní, Granma province, was arrested after taking thousands of packs of cigarettes and tobacco from the company's warehouse.
It is estimated that the economic impact exceeds 10 million Cuban pesos (CUP).
The worker took advantage of their access to state resources to remove products from the company's warehouse, which acts as an intermediary between the state factories of Tabacuba and retail points across the country, according to a post from the official Facebook profile "Entérate con Aytana Alama."
"These products, which should have arrived at the commercial network for the people's consumption at set prices, end up in informal markets with speculative prices," the publication noted.
The official profile that disseminated the case in Granma sought to frame the arrest as a victory for the State in defense of the population.
“This act is not just a number on a balance sheet; it is a direct blow to the population,” they wrote.
However, the reality once again highlights the cracks in the Cuban state distribution system, where workers with access to the warehouses divert basic products to the informal market, while the population faces empty shelves.
The author of the theft "is already under police process," according to the publication, although the official source did not specify the formal charges or the date when the trial will take place.
The case occurs in a context of severe tobacco shortage in Cuba that has persisted since at least early 2025, when black market prices in the capital ranged from 200 to 1,500 pesos per pack, compared to the official price of 30 pesos set by Resolution 63 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices.
The scarcity is due to multiple structural factors: blackouts that interrupt production, outdated machinery, and a poor distribution of cigars throughout the country.
The embezzlement from the distribution warehouses directly exacerbates this shortage.
Jiguaní is a municipality with a tobacco tradition in eastern Cuba, producing approximately 1,200 tons of tobacco annually. This makes it even more striking that products intended for popular consumption were diverted from within the state system.
The Cuban regime launched an anti-corruption campaign in July 2025 featuring trials described as "exemplary" in state-owned companies, with sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
This Monday, three officials from the Vegetable Canning Company of Santiago de Cuba were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years for embezzling over five million pesos.
In February, five workers from the Wholesale Food Company in Las Tunas were sentenced to between 11 and 13 years for embezzlement that affected 50,000 families.
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