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The state bakery “La Teresita”, located on Carlos Manuel and Pintó streets in Guantánamo, was fined 8,000 Cuban pesos and faced additional administrative measures due to the "withholding of cakes" intended for sale for Mother's Day, as reported by the Mi Guantánamo page on Facebook.
The episode takes place one day before Cuba celebrates Mother’s Day —this Sunday, May 10— and starkly summarizes the paradox the country is experiencing: in a province where 78.7% of households suffer from food insecurity, one of the highest on the entire island, state workers speculate with the little that is allocated to the population.
The images published alongside the complaint also show the cakes stored under alarming hygienic conditions: in display cases with peeling paint and stained tiles.
The fine of 8,000 pesos is almost four times the Cuban minimum wage, set at 2,100 pesos, highlighting the severity of the penalties amidst an economic collapse that the regime itself is unable to reverse.
The concept of "retention" of products is treated by the authorities as a form of speculation or hoarding, punishable under Decree-Law 91, but the case does not clarify whether the cakes eventually reached consumers or what their fate was after the intervention.
It is not the first time that the regime has responded to shortages with fines instead of solutions. In March 2025, a wave of sanctions in Havana imposed fines ranging from 5,000 to 16,000 pesos on self-employed workers and businesses for speculation, unauthorized pricing, and the sale of expired products. The micro, small, and medium enterprise "Río Luz" and the retail outlet "To' Rico" each received exactly 8,000 pesos for similar violations.
Guantánamo also has a history of extreme scarcity. In May 2025, the province rationed bread exclusively for children under 14 years old and priority institutions due to a lack of flour. Months later, in November, a livestock market that was inaugurated in the locality opened its doors completely empty due to structural shortages.
Nationally, a recent survey reveals that one in three Cuban households reported that at least one member went to bed hungry in the last 30 days, an increase of 9.3 percentage points compared to 2024, according to the Food Monitor Program.
79.75% of surveyed Cubans attribute the shortages to "poor state management," which is an increase of 18 points compared to 2024, according to the same organization.
The scene of a bakery being fined for having stored pastries—while millions of Cuban women will not receive even a sweet treat this Mother's Day—is the truest portrayal of what 67 years of dictatorship have done to the island: a system that punishes those who have food instead of ensuring it reaches those in need.
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