Five individuals were detained in the municipality of Colón, Matanzas, for their alleged involvement in the theft of dielectric oil and damage to three transformers installed on the “La Conchita” farm, which are used to supply electricity to an irrigation turbine.
The official profile With Everyone, Victory reported on Friday about the case on Facebook and stated that the suspects drilled into the transformers to extract the oil from inside.
According to that version, the owner of the property surprised them while they were at the site, and the individuals fled, leaving behind 60 liters of dielectric oil distributed in three 20-liter containers.
After the police investigation, Abdiel Miranda Mederos, Yenisel Mederos Scull, Pável Díaz Díaz, Dayan Mederos Hernández, and Jansser Amado Ortega Lima were arrested, all of whom are connected to the incident by authorities.
The report states that during the subsequent searches, various items were seized that the authorities believe are related to the case.
Miranda Mederos was reportedly found with clothing believed to be linked to the incident; Mederos Scull had two pointed objects resembling a latch; and Díaz Díaz had about 300 milliliters of oil.
The publication states that the five remain detained and that the incident will be processed as sabotage.
The case arises amidst a sharp increase in the theft of dielectric oil in Matanzas.
This Friday, the official newspaper Granma reported that the province accounts for more than 50% of the thefts of this product recorded in Cuba and that nearly a hundred transformers have been damaged.
According to that publication, the replacement of the affected equipment alone has resulted in losses exceeding half a million dollars.
The extraction of oil can render transformers out of service, as the liquid serves as insulation and cooling.
The damage is not limited to the electrical grid. The outage of this equipment can interrupt the supply to homes, water pumping systems, and agricultural activities, as is the case here with an installation intended for irrigation.
The authorities in Matanzas have also begun to conduct road checks to detect vehicles using stolen dielectric oil as fuel.
At the inspection points, specialists are involved in analyzing diesel samples to identify possible contaminations with that product.
The measure was adopted after two individuals were recently arrested in Los Arabos with a tank of dielectric oil, a hose, gloves, and a rope, in one of the many incidents related to this crime.
According to the authorities, the product had been extracted from a transformer in the Guachinango area.
The problem had been escalating for months. In May, authorities in Matanzas acknowledged that approximately 40 individuals were being prosecuted for incidents related to the theft of dielectric oil, involving more than ten alleged criminal networks and around 33 reports under investigation.
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