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The Cuban police dismantled a network dedicated to the theft of liquefied gas cylinders involving workers from the provincial Gas Plant in Camagüey, according to a report this Saturday from a source linked to the Ministry of the Interior.
The operation, conducted in the Garrido-Caridad popular council in the city of Camagüey, revealed that employees of the state-owned company were working in coordination with outsiders to steal the so-called "balitas" during the daytime, reported the official page "Verdades a Través del Móvil" on Facebook.
The method involved taking advantage of the usual transit of vehicles transporting cylinders legally, to camouflage the stolen containers among them and take them out without raising suspicion.
This Saturday, agents of the Revolutionary National Police (PNR) located several cylinders hidden among the foliage in an area located approximately one kilometer from the plant, which, according to the publication, "confirms the scale of the illegal operation."
The authorities have not specified the number of people arrested, nor how many of them were workers or executives of the state entity. They have also not revealed the total number of stolen cylinders or how long the network operated before being detected.
"The investigations continue to determine all responsibilities and bring those involved to justice," the statement assured, but did not provide further details about the case.
This fact highlights serious flaws in supervision and oversight within the facility, which allowed employees to misappropriate a significant amount of resources without triggering the control mechanisms.
The theft of gas cylinders is not an isolated incident; in recent years, this crime has surged due to the shortage of domestic fuel, lack of oversight, administrative corruption, and impunity in the country. In June 2025, the police dismantled a similar network in Sancti Spíritus; in September of that year, another was dismantled in Cienfuegos that overcharged cylinders beyond the safe limit; and last May, the authorities seized 25 cylinders in Placetas, Villa Clara.
The background of this crime is the extreme shortage of liquefied gas across the island. More than 50% of the 1.7 million customers of liquefied gas in Cuba were unable to make purchases during the distributions carried out in April 2026. This unmet demand has skyrocketed prices in the informal market: the gas canisters sold on official platforms for $24 are being resold for as much as $50, and in areas of the eastern and rural provinces, prices in Cuban pesos can exceed 50,000 pesos.
The desperation of the population has also opened the door to dangerous scams. A few days ago, a family from Las Tunas reported having paid 50,000 pesos for a small cylinder that mainly contained water, used to simulate the usual weight of the gas cylinder. Filling a container meant for storing fuel with water is not only a fraud, but it can also lead to breakages, leaks, or serious accidents inside homes.
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