A Cuban woman identified as Jenni Lucas, who is dedicated to a small party and event decoration business, reported that thieves looted the premises where she operated her business and questioned the lack of results from the police following the robbery. Her experience prompted her to issue a direct warning to Cubans abroad: do not invest in businesses for your relatives on the island.
On his social media, Lucas promotes work under the name Decoraciones JLY, mainly setups and arrangements with balloons for birthdays and other celebrations.
In a video published on Facebook, the woman walks through the establishment and shows the shelves that are almost empty after the looting. “Don’t do business in Cuba, it’s not worth the sacrifice,” was the description that accompanied the clip.
"A place that was full. All those shelves were full. That's what they left me. What's over there, there’s what’s there, three pieces of junk and that," he recounts.
But the loss of the merchandise is not the only thing she reports. Jenni particularly questions the response she claims to have received from the authorities after reporting the theft.
"And the police simply tell you that it's under investigation. There's no problem of any kind," he states. He also shows a folder in which, as he explains, he keeps the documentation for his business.
«I have a file [archive] filled with all my documents, with the project, with all the crap they ask for here to get things done, I have it. And nothing, nothing happens. You got robbed, tough luck. Absolutely nothing happens», he laments.
The entrepreneur claims that the theft also left her with debts for third-party merchandise that she had in the establishment, which was also taken.
"Behind the theft comes the fact that you're left with nothing and that you have to pay money, money that isn't yours and that no one cares about—absolutely no one cares that you've been robbed," he explains.
Based on her experience, Jenni believes that private entrepreneurs are unprotected against this type of crime.
"As you are unique, since this doesn't come from the state, nothing happens, that's it," she asserts.
His most powerful message is aimed at Cubans living outside the island who send money to help their relatives start businesses.
"If your relative is in Cuba and you want to help them in some way, don't set them up with a business, don't set them up with a business because unfortunately here in Cuba, anyone with a small business has no rights and no support from the police," they warn.
The post generated numerous comments from people sharing similar experiences. One user claimed that she was robbed in February 2025 at the Fairgrounds, and that, despite the police taking statements and the alleged perpetrators being identified, "they are still at large." Another stated that thieves emptied her café during the early morning hours and questioned why, despite the fingerprints found, the case had not progressed.
The report comes amid growing concerns about the security situation in Cuba. The Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory documented 2,833 verified crimes during 2025, which is a 115% increase compared to the previous year and 337% higher than in 2023. Theft topped the records, with 1,536 cases.
The Ministry of the Interior itself acknowledged in February 2026 a 25% increase in property crimes, which it attributed to the "complex economic situation."
The case of Jenni is not the first to impact small entrepreneurs. At the end of July, a Cuban pastry chef reported the theft of the equipment that sustained her business, while in May a burglary was reported at a private jewelry store in Cienfuegos.
"The police don't care, the State doesn't care, nobody cares, so don't do it," Jenni concludes.
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