A man identified as Juan Luis Ávila died following a violent incident that occurred in the town of Guaracabulla, in the municipality of Placetas, Villa Clara, allegedly related to the illegal extraction of gold.
The case was initially reported by content creator Niover Licea on his platform Nio reporting a crime. According to the profile, a brother of the deceased, identified as Lázaro Luis Ávila, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
CubaNet stated that it has confirmed the incident through local sources from Guaracabulla consulted via WhatsApp.
The two brothers were from Cajimaya, in the Mayarí municipality of Holguín, and were in the area participating in activities related to the search and extraction of gold, according to reports received by Nio regarding a crime.
The first information began circulating last Saturday and mentioned one person dead and two others seriously injured by bladed weapons. A later version added a third injured person.
Subsequent testimonies revealed that the attack occurred in Guaracabulla and that the individuals involved were allegedly connected to illegal mining.
The conflict may have arisen from a money dispute related to that activity.
It was also confirmed that the alleged assailant escaped, but as of Monday afternoon, his identity had not been disclosed, nor was there any verifiable information about his capture.
The National Revolutionary Police (PNR), the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), and the authorities of Villa Clara had not released a public statement confirming the casualty count, the circumstances of the incident, or the status of the alleged perpetrator, emphasized CubaNet.
The incident occurred in a gold mining district where illegal extraction continues despite the closure of official operations. The Descanso mine, the main underground operation in the area, had closed months before February 2019.
The official portal Cubadebate then attributed the closure to "the danger, the cost of operations, and the slow pace of extraction."
The mine, which reached just over 100 meters in depth, was presented at that time as the only underground operation in operation in Cuba.
In December 2019, the Council of Ministers formally terminated, due to expiration, the exploitation concession granted to the Geominera del Centro Company.
It was also decided to seal off the access points, remove the equipment, rehabilitate the affected surface, and present a closure schedule, although the land remains available for future mining requests.
The gold potential of the area, however, is still under review. A study published in 2025 by specialists from the Institute of Geology and Paleontology indicated that the Descanso mine had already been exploited and that the nearby Meloneras had been partially mined.
The report added that geological research confirmed the continuity of mineralization and described veins rich in gold.
A previous study by the same institute, published in 2022 and cited by CubaNet, documented that individuals had constructed clandestine wells and extracted mineral in outcrops of the Descanso-Meloneras system and in nearby structures such as Oropesa.
Researchers warned that there is no reliable data on the volumes extracted, making it impossible to determine how many illegal wells are currently operating, who controls them, or how much gold they produce.
The study classified this artisanal mining as illegal, hazardous to health, and harmful to the environment. It also warned about the uncontrolled use of mercury for gold recovery and the risks associated with the removal and crushing of rocks.
Illegal gold mining has become a quite common phenomenon in several Cuban provinces. In 2025, the Police dismantled an illegal mining camp in Santa Clara and arrested two individuals.
Between 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, 115 people were prosecuted for illegal mining in provinces such as Guantánamo, Holguín, and Las Tunas.
In May 2024, more than 30 people were prosecuted in Camagüey for illegal gold extraction, with penalties of up to two years in prison.
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