A trail of spilled liquid allowed the police to follow the path of the alleged perpetrators of the theft of dielectric oil from a transformer and reach a home in the municipality of Unión de Reyes, in Matanzas.
The incident occurred on the morning of this Wednesday, according to TV Yumurí, which reported the arrest of one of the alleged suspects and the recovery of approximately 20 liters of the stolen product.
The police received a report of the robbery that took place at an electrical substation around 8:30 a.m. The officers found traces of the spilled liquid at the scene and followed the trail to a building near the bus terminal.
A container with approximately 20 liters of oil was seized during the inspection of the residence, which was secured while the investigations continued, explained Major Yordany Apolinario Montes de Oca, head of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) in the municipality.
According to TV Yumurí, one of the suspects was recognized by an officer during the operation.
The man resisted arrest, attempted to retrieve the oil, and ran away after disobeying the order to halt, but he was captured by the agents who formed the police cordon.
The authorities are keeping the recovered product in custody and are working to fully clarify what happened, as well as to identify any other individuals who may be involved.
The official information did not disclose the identity of the detainee nor specify what crime he would be charged with.
The case was registered amidst an increase in the theft of dielectric oil from electrical facilities across the country. The regime has been processing these incidents and other damages to the National Electrical System under the charge of sabotage, imposing severe prison sentences that can reach up to 30 years or life imprisonment, and even considering the death penalty.
In June, a man was arrested and charged with that crime after an attempted robbery that left another accomplice dead in El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba.
Other recent events demonstrate the consequences of these thefts. Five individuals were arrested for the theft of 110 liters at a pumping station in Guantánamo, which impacted the water supply, while the extraction of 600 liters from two transformers left 40% of the municipality of Amancio without electricity, in Las Tunas.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, came to attribute part of the blackouts to the theft of transformer oil.
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