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Thieves stole the four photovoltaic solar panels installed in cabinet #1 of Reparto Flores, in Santiago de Cuba, located next to the Raúl Pujols Arencibia primary school, leaving a telecommunications node of Etecsa without energy backup, which ensured services during power outages.
The complaint was published on Facebook by engineer Luis Enrique Torres Almarales, an employee of the state entity in Santiago de Cuba, who described the incident as "counter-revolution and sabotage" and shared the serial numbers of the stolen panels in order for the public to help locate them.
"These photovoltaic panel systems are installed at Etecsa's technological sites to ensure continuity of telecommunications services provided to the people, especially during outages of industrial power, which translates into quality of life," Torres explained in his post.
This is the second theft of this kind in Santiago de Cuba in less than a month. On May 1st, a panel was stolen from the Micro 9-2 Integral Cabinet, which resulted in the incapacitation of a system of approximately 2 kW capable of supporting landline services and Nauta Hogar for over 10 nighttime hours and benefiting more than 560 users.
The same informant reported both cases and on that occasion demanded a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison for the responsible party.
Citizen comments on the publication reflect widespread indignation and point out irregularities in the institutional response.
"Someone is benefiting, because how could they steal that so easily and no one sees anything? Stealing that requires a lot of time, more than one person, vehicles, and more things," wrote Finlay Bartutis Silot, suggesting possible internal complicity.
Other users questioned the lack of surveillance cameras and alarm systems in critical facilities. "Invest in surveillance cameras; it isn’t that expensive," urged Vladímir Robert Pascau.
Daniel Ortiz La O linked the phenomenon to the country's structural crisis: "This is not a new phenomenon; what is happening now is that it is currently escalating without limits as part of the crisis and the lack of engagement from institutions and society," he said.
The perception of selective impunity also emerged in the comments. "If they had shouted counter-revolutionary slogans, they would have been arrested immediately and sentenced to 10 years in prison," Grr Rodriguez quipped.
The theft in Reparto Flores is part of a national wave of thefts targeting solar infrastructure. In May, four individuals assaulted and tied up the guard at a pumping station in Holguín and stole 32 solar panels.
That same month, a shift supervisor at a photovoltaic park in Guanabacoa was arrested for stealing more than 40 meters of electrical cables, leaving 24 panels out of service.
The Cuban regime responded to this wave with Decree 475 from the People's Supreme Court, issued in May 2025, which classifies these acts as sabotage, carrying penalties of seven to 30 years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty in severe cases. Despite this, the robberies continue unabated.
When electricity is interrupted in Cuba, approximately 47.5% of the mobile radio bases and 56.5% of the telecommunications cabinets in the country shut down, according to data from March, making each stolen panel a direct blow to the communications of entire neighborhoods.
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