A Cuban woman identified as Rolaisy Velázquez reported losing 168,000 pesos after purchasing several boxes of cigarettes at La Cuevita in San Miguel del Padrón, Havana. Although they appeared to be sealed, she discovered upon opening them that they were empty and filled with wool or cotton to mimic their weight.
The woman shared on Facebook that the purchase took place three days prior and admitted that she made the mistake of not checking the goods at the time of the transaction.
"Three days ago, I was at the Cuevita fair and I was scammed out of 168,000 pesos with some cigarettes that turned out to be just empty boxes filled with fiber," he recounted.
"Perhaps you are wondering why I didn't check; it's true, but sometimes humans think that we are all serious about business, and that's where the mistake lies," he added.
Velázquez explained that she is not a smoker and that she had bought the cigarettes from the "Popular" brand to resell them and earn income to support her family.
"I am a woman who fights day by day to provide what my daughters need, struggling penny by penny," she expressed.
After losing an amount that represents several months of salary for many Cuban workers, given that the minimum wage on the island is 3,210 Cuban pesos, a warning was issued to those who visit the popular Havana market: “I just ask that when you are there, do not let your guard down because there are more crooks than serious people.”
Other Cubans claim to have experienced similar scams
The complaint sparked numerous comments from people who claimed to have been victims of similar scams at La Cuevita.
A user identified as Ávila Fernández reported that he lost 22,500 pesos after buying cartons of cigars which he opened immediately after paying, only to find them filled with tobacco and wool. Another person claimed that months ago, he purchased cigars stuffed with banana leaves.
The testimonies also mentioned alleged scams involving other products: detergent bags with missing packages, adulterated oil, shampoo replaced with inferior soap, and hygiene product packages containing fewer units than advertised.
Even a seller who claimed to work at La Cuevita admitted in the comments that "there are many people who are shameless" and warned about the difficulty of later identifying those responsible: "You see them in one place today, and tomorrow they are already gone."
Other users questioned the authorities' lack of control over the reported irregularities in the area. One of them directly accused inspectors and police of being aware of what was happening and failing to intervene.
It is not the first time that customers have reported fraud of this kind at La Cuevita. In August 2025, the case of H. Upmann cigar boxes allegedly filled with sawdust came to light, and there were also reports of adulterated toothpaste tubes. Years earlier, a Cuban woman claimed to have purchased supposed oil there that turned out to be a mix of water and vinegar.
The scarcity of cigarettes has turned the product into a particularly lucrative business within the informal market. Production issues due to a lack of raw materials and foreign currency have driven up prices, with packs costing between 450 and 1,000 pesos.
For Velazquez, however, the blow cannot be reduced to a mere figure. The 168,000 pesos he lost were part of the money he was trying to use to make a living and support his daughters.
"La Cuevita has become the number one in scams and thefts; if you buy oil, coffee, and thousands of other things, everything is adulterated," summarized another user among the numerous reactions to the case.
Related videos:
Filed under: