The Cuban regime has made it clear in recent hours that, after eliminating price caps and allowing the rise in basic goods prices, it now intends to address the disorder nationwide through fines, confiscations, forced sales, and closures of private businesses.
The Municipal Administration Council of Plaza de la Revolución in Havana reported this Wednesday that inspectors carried out 20 control actions in establishments belonging to non-state management forms.
According to the statement, the authorities detected the sale of sausages, oil, chicken, and ground meat without prices displayed to the public, in addition to values they deemed as "abusive and speculative" related to the purchase and resale of those products.
As a result of the inspections, 17 fines were imposed under Decree 30/2021 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices. Additionally, three forced sales were ordered, although the official statement did not specify which products were sold or the prices set by the inspectors.
In another establishment, the authorities detected that the electronic payment gateways were not being used. The business received a fine under Decree Law 91/2024 and its activity was temporarily suspended.
The municipal government warned that it will strengthen actions against those who fail to comply with its regulations and threatened to temporarily close establishments for a period of up to three months.
Among the possible sanctions, he also mentioned confiscation, forced sale of goods, and the imposition of new fines.
The offensive occurs a few weeks after the Ministry of Finance and Prices formally eliminated the maximum retail prices for chopped chicken, edible oils —except for olive oil—, powdered milk, pasta, and sausages through the .
Miguel Díaz-Canel himself had acknowledged that the caps failed to contain inflation and led to the disappearance of products, shifts towards the illegal market, and price increases.
However, territorial administrations have started to regain mechanisms of pressure and control against private vendors.
In this regard, Havana is not the only area where measures are tightening. In Sancti Spíritus, a recent operation resulted in more than 200 fines and the closure of at least five establishments due to violations mainly related to pricing and electronic payments.
This Wednesday, the municipal government of Guantánamo set a reference price of 2,200 pesos for oil and announced fines, confiscations, forced sales, and closures of up to three months against those who fail to comply with its regulations, although it denied that this was a new price cap.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Government of Granma called on private importers of food and hygiene products to seek alleged "joint solutions," amid the rapid rise in the prices of basic goods and increasing official pressure on the non-state sector.
The measures once again reflect the erratic swings of the regime's economic policy: first, it eliminates controls after acknowledging their failure, and soon after, it resorts to inspections, threats, and sanctions in an attempt to manage prices that most Cubans' wages and pensions cannot support.
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