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A man died from electrocution, and another was arrested and charged with sabotage after attempting to steal dielectric oil from a bank of electrical transformers in the town of El Cobre, municipality of Santiago de Cuba, according to an official statement from the Provincial Prosecutor's Office published this Wednesday.
The events took place on May 9, 2026, around 1:00 AM, when three individuals approached a transformer bank located next to a feed factory at kilometer 8 on the Central Highway.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, one of the three climbed the electrical pole, opened the transformers with a Spanish wrench, and began to extract the dielectric oil using a hose, while the other two kept watch and assisted in pouring the liquid into containers.
At that moment, the electrical current suddenly surged into the system, and the person on the pole was struck, resulting in their death.
The Prosecutor's Office registered the case as Preliminary Phase File 65 of 2026, instructed by the Provincial Unit of the Criminal Investigation and Operations Agency.
The only detainee is charged with sabotage, as outlined in article 125.1 of the current Penal Code, and has been subjected to the precautionary measure of provincial imprisonment.
The official statement was issued more than 45 days after the events occurred, without the authorities explaining the delay in the public communication of the case, although this is quite common in "Cuban justice."
The theft of dielectric oil from transformers has become a growing phenomenon in Cuba, directly linked to the energy crisis and fuel shortages.
This oil, essential as a coolant and insulator in transformers, is resold on the black market as a substitute fuel for tractors and agricultural machinery, at prices ranging from 500 to over 1,000 Cuban pesos per liter.
Its extraction permanently disables the transformers and causes blackouts that can last for days or weeks. A single transformer can cost between 4 and 5 million dollars in the international market.
The town of El Cobre, where the incident occurred, is experiencing a severe electrical crisis in Santiago de Cuba: the Loma del Burro circuit had accumulated 22 days without electrical service in June 2026, according to local reports.
A priest from the area described the situation of his parishioners as "buried alive, without light, without illusions, without dreams, and without hope."
To curb these thefts, the Cuban regime has tightened the penalties.
The Opinion 475/2025 of the People's Supreme Court instructed that these acts be classified as sabotage rather than common theft, with penalties ranging from seven to 30 years in prison, life imprisonment, or even the death penalty in severe cases.
Exemplary trials have increased: in Artemisa, a defendant accused of stealing 70 liters of dielectric oil was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and in Ciego de Ávila similar sentences were imposed for equivalent offenses.
Between January 2025 and March 2026, 100% of those accused of electrical sabotage in Cuba were sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.
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