The theft of dielectric oil from a transformer supplying the molecular medicine center in Santiago de Cuba left the facility without service and had a consequence that went beyond the damage to the electrical infrastructure: samples from a critically ill patient had to be transferred to Granma for processing.
The incident was reported by the Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba in a statement warning about the impact that such crimes can have on essential services and, in particular, on medical care.
The theft occurred during the early hours of Wednesday. Hours later, when a critically ill patient needed urgent tests, the center was unable to process the samples due to the damage caused to the transformer.
The alternative was to send them to another province, an operation that required fuel, resources, and, above all, a delay at a time when obtaining a result quickly could be crucial for the patient's care.
"But there is something even more important: the time a patient loses when urgently in need of a diagnosis," warned the Electric Company.
The entity explained that dielectric oil is essential for the insulation and cooling of transformers. Its removal can render the equipment unusable and directly affect the facilities that rely on that electrical supply.
"Essential services that depend on this supply are put at risk, and the lives of individuals are also endangered," the statement highlighted.
The problem is exacerbated by the difficulty of replenishing the stolen materials. Cuba does not produce dielectric oil and relies on imports, so each theft not only leads to service interruptions but also imposes an additional cost on an electrical system already affected by resource shortages and infrastructure deterioration.
An illegal business that strikes the electrical system
The theft of dielectric oil has become the crime that most impacts electrical infrastructure in Cuba during 2026.
The extracted liquid often ends up on the black market, where it is used as a substitute for diesel in tractors and other agricultural machinery. The liter can sell for between 600 and over 1,000 Cuban pesos, a clandestine business that has increased attacks on transformers amid the deep energy crisis the country is experiencing.
Santiago de Cuba has recorded several recent episodes.
On August 17, just three days before the incident that affected Molecular Medicine, oil was stolen from two transformer banks in Carolina, San Luis municipality.
Days earlier, the extraction of 300 liters in that same municipality had left approximately 17,000 people without electricity.
The gravity and frequency of these incidents have prompted authorities to take a tougher approach to criminal penalties. Recently, the Municipal People's Tribunal of Contramaestre, also in Santiago de Cuba,
The robbery left more than 2,000 people without electricity for 48 hours. The accused was apprehended in the early hours of the morning while transporting the stolen oil and was in possession of tools allegedly used to commit the crime.
Outrage and demands for increased surveillance
The case of Molecular Medicine sparked outrage among numerous users who reacted to the statement from the Electric Company. Several called for increased monitoring of transformers and other vulnerable facilities, while others questioned the priorities of the police forces.
Among the criticisms, there were comments from citizens who contrasted the lack of protection for essential infrastructures with the resources allocated by the authorities to monitor and detain protesters or pursue informal trading activities.
The reaction also reflects a concern that goes beyond the cost of a transformer: in a country subjected to prolonged blackouts and with a healthcare system marked by shortages, a new electrical failure could ultimately affect services that directly impact patient health.
The Cuban regime has responded to the rise in these crimes with a severe tightening of penalties. The from the Government Council of the Supreme Popular Court established that certain thefts of transformer oil can be prosecuted as sabotage against the National Electric System, under Article 125 of the Penal Code.
The penalties outlined range from seven to 15 years of imprisonment in their basic form and can increase from ten to 30 years, life imprisonment, and even the death penalty when the most serious circumstances provided by law are present.
However, the tightening of sentences has not managed to stop thefts.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged at the end of July that there are Cuban communities that have gone for as long as 105 consecutive days without electricity due to malfunctioning transformers and admitted that the theft of dielectric oil directly contributes to extending these outages.
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