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Four individuals attacked, gagged, and tied up the guard of the water pumping station in the Oscar Lucero neighborhood, in the municipality of Holguín, and stole the 32 photovoltaic solar panels that powered the system, according to official reports.
The assault occurred early Monday morning, around 3:00 a.m., when the criminals broke into the facility and subdued the guard before stealing all the equipment, reported the page Realidades desde Holguín on Facebook, linked to the Ministry of the Interior (Minint).
In response to the incident, officers from the Technical Investigations Department (DTI), Instruction, and Criminalistics launched a joint search and recovery operation on the same Monday.
After noon, 29 of the 32 stolen panels had been recovered, and before 5:00 p.m., the four alleged perpetrators of the theft were arrested, according to the source.
The publication did not reveal the identity of the suspects nor whether the investigation to find the remaining three solar panels is ongoing. The health status of the assaulted guard was also not disclosed.
The recovered panels were returned to the residents in the community during a public event organized by the authorities, a practice that has become routine in which the regime amplifies ordinary police operations, presenting them as significant institutional victories. The profile noted that the residents "expressed their gratitude to the officers for the speed and effectiveness of the operation."
The incident is not the first that this facility has experienced. Last March, the theft of 180 meters of cable from the photovoltaic system left the pumping station out of operation for more than two months, depriving part of the community of water.
The pattern is repeated throughout the country. Last March, two men were sentenced to nine and seven years in prison for stealing nearly 50,000 screws intended for solar park structures in Ciego de Ávila, resulting in an economic damage exceeding 620,000 Cuban pesos.
In January 2025, the panels at the Pedernales pumping station, also in Holguín, were stolen on two separate occasions. Meanwhile, in 2024, the province of Las Tunas recorded eight thefts of panels at pumping stations in less than six months, affecting municipalities such as Puerto Padre, Colombia, Jobabo, and Majibacoa.
The Cuban government implemented a national program in 2023 consisting of 1,312 solar pumping systems, each with a capacity of 10 kW, designed to replace diesel use and ensure the supply of drinking water. However, these systems have become frequent targets for thieves due to their high value in the informal market.
In response to the escalation of thefts, the Supreme People's Tribunal issued Opinion 475 in May 2025, classifying damage and theft of solar panels and electrical systems as sabotage, with penalties ranging from seven to 30 years in prison. Despite this, the thefts continue, highlighting the deterioration of surveillance mechanisms and the desperation of a population affected by years of economic and energy crises.
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