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The General Customs of the Republic of Cuba (AGR) confiscated over 12 kilograms of gold that two passengers were attempting to illegally take out through the José Martí International Airport in Havana, hidden inside nine handcrafted figures painted black.
The discovery was reported this Monday by Wiliam Pérez González, the first deputy chief of the AGR, through his official account on X, where he highlighted the skill of the officers who detected the mineral and proceeded to report the case to the National Revolutionary Police.
The camouflage method was particularly elaborate: the nine pieces were shaped like stylized human heads with visible facial features—eyes, nose, mouth, and hair with a texture of parallel lines—and a glossy black finish that made them look like talismans, crafts, or ritual figures.
Pérez summarized the finding with these words: "The 9 figures painted in black concealed the mineral of high international value, recognizing the skill of the officers who reported it to the police."
At the closing price of gold this Monday, close to $3,997 per troy ounce, a kilogram of pure gold would have an approximate value of $128,507.
Therefore, the more than 12 kilograms detected would represent a value exceeding 1.54 million dollars, although the final estimate will depend on the exact weight and purity of the metal.
This seizure far exceeds previous records of the institution. In March 2025, Customs thwarted a prior attempt to smuggle out just two kilograms of gold ingots hidden in a double bottom of luggage at the same airport.
The trafficking of precious metals is not the only challenge facing the Cuban customs.
In May 2026, agents detected 24,150 euros hidden in the luggage of a traveler at the same airport, and in June they intercepted dozens of vaporizers containing marijuana and a passenger arriving from Panama who had ingested 25 drug capsules.
This tightening of controls falls within the framework of the Decree-Law No. 108 "On Customs", which replaced the legal framework of 1996 and expanded the powers of the AGR with radiological controls, canine units, and closed-circuit television systems.
The export of precious metals from Cuba without a declaration of value or without authorization from the Central Bank of Cuba is considered a criminal offense, and Decree-Law 108 establishes fines of up to three times the value of the merchandise for very serious violations, in addition to confiscation.
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