Photos and a video shared on social media show a plague of cockroaches freely crawling over packaged and canned goods on the shelves of Harris Brothers store in Havana, one of the most iconic shopping centers in the Cuban capital.
The recording, shared by the page "Cubans Around the World" on Facebook, makes it clear that this is not an isolated corner: "what you are seeing walk over the products is not a special effect or a setup; these are American cockroaches, a plague, folks, a complete infestation."
The area shown in the images is specifically the food section. "This department you see, where cockroaches roam around as if they own the place, is precisely the one for meat products and canned goods. The food, my people," warns the author of the post, who emphasizes that "this is how the entire store looks, from top to bottom."
In the video accompanying the complaint, the person recording can be heard saying, "Look at how the cockroaches are," while their companion asserts that they are American cockroaches, which are "extremely difficult to kill."
The publication also directly points out the absence of the State: "And where are the inspections? Where is the so-called Public Health that shows up when it suits them? Because when it comes to repression, there are resources; when it comes to watching over Cubans, there are eyes everywhere, but when it comes to caring for what your family puts in their mouths, nobody shows up."
Harris Brothers, located on O’Reilly between Bernaza and Villegas in Old Havana, operates under the umbrella of Tiendas Caribe, an entity linked to the military conglomerate GAESA.
Sells imported products at prices in foreign currency, accessible only to those with international cards or cash in foreign currency, making it a symbol of the economic inequality on the Island.
The reaction from internet users combined indignation, resignation, and sarcasm. One of them claimed to have seen something worse: "If it were just cockroaches, but I had the pleasure of seeing five mice in the area of the candies-ice creams-drinks; the employees were scared to be there and sell."
Another commentator expanded the perspective: "Cockroaches in the stores and on the trains, bedbugs in hospitals, hotels, and nursing homes, rats in the streets and sewers, we are surrounded... that's why we are the strongest humans in the world."
One person was direct: "Today, Cuba is the most DISGUSTING country in the world. Thanks to our government, which is so smart and has a great capacity to solve problems."
Dark humor was not absent: "Well. At least we now know what the little cockroach Martina did with the coin she found. She went to Harris Brothers."
The problem is neither new nor exclusive to this establishment.
Cockroaches in hard currency stores in Havana have been reported repeatedly since at least 2018, with documented cases in La Época, Galerías Paseo, the 3rd and 70 market, and multiple stores that accept freely convertible currency.
"A few years ago, in the basement of La Época, and in Galerías Paseo as well, even in the perfume department, you would walk over crayons. My God, how disgusting. At 3rd and 70, in the market, there were millions," detailed another user in the post from Cubanos por el Mundo.
"By coincidence, I saw them today at the Trasval store," another mocked.
In April 2022, a host from Radio Rebelde documented a cockroach among the ham in a store in Miramar and publicly questioned where the inspectors were, pointing out that state-run establishments do not face penalties while private individuals are fined between 2,000 and 8,000 pesos.
The health crisis extends beyond the stores.
In July 2025, residents of Havana set fire to garbage containers in response to the proliferation of rats, flies, and cockroaches, and last April, Matanzas issued a provincial health alert for hepatitis A directly linked to the accumulation of trash and widespread unsanitary conditions.
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