A CUPET gas station located a block away from Villa Marista —the headquarters of the State Security of the Ministry of the Interior in Havana— supplies fuel to vehicles of the regime's repressive apparatus, including units from the state-owned Sepsa, trucks from the special brigades known as "black berets," and Suzuki motorcycles used by State Security agents, according to an investigation by 14ymedio.
What makes this finding particularly serious is the origin of the fuel: according to the report from the independent Cuban media, the fuel dispensed at this service station comes from imports made from the United States, in blatant violation of U.S. regulations, which explicitly prohibit gasoline from reaching the Cuban state, its armed forces, or its repressive apparatus.
The Trump administration authorized the export of fuel to Cuba in February 2026 under the exception “Support for the Cuban People”, but with strict conditions: the fuel may only be sold to private Cuban entities and cannot pass through GAESA, CUPET, or the government, nor be allocated to state or repressive structures.
In June, Washington went further and sanctioned CUPET —the Cuban state oil company— by adding it to the Specially Designated Nationals list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which freezes its assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits any transactions with it.
Despite these restrictions, the flow of fuel from the U.S. has continued to grow: Cuban companies acquired petroleum products worth 156.8 million dollars between January and July 2026, of which over 61 million was accounted for just in the month of July.
The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz informed the National Assembly that more than a hundred private companies had received permission to wholesale fuel, and that "the first foreign investment business for the import, distribution, and commercialization of fuel had already been authorized."
The consulting firm Auge warned in March that importing a full isotank of 25,000 liters costs around 50,000 dollars, a figure unattainable for most small private businesses in Cuba, which fuels suspicions that it is the regime itself that finances these purchases through intermediary micro, small and medium enterprises.
A local resident who notified 14ymedio described the daily activity in front of the service station: "Every day, hundreds of vehicles of all types pass by, including buses for personal transport (to and from the Ministry of the Interior, located in José Martí Plaza), dump trucks, cars with M, B, and P plates, hundreds of Suzuki motorcycles with their respective riders."
The same complainant highlighted the contradiction that outrages the population: «I wonder how it is possible for them to mock the sanctions against the regime. The repressive apparatus is operating at 100%, and that has been the case for over 66 years».
The scandal arises amid an unprecedented energy collapse. Cuba has gone more than five months without receiving a fuel tanker—the second and last one of the year arrived before April—power outages have reached deficits exceeding 2,400 MW, and cuts reach up to 20 hours daily in Havana.
The regime publicly denounces an "energy blockade", yet in practice, it can purchase fuel in the U.S.; what it can no longer receive is the subsidized supply from Venezuela and Mexico that has sustained its economy for decades.
The harshest irony was summed up by the servicentro neighbor himself: «My area hasn't had water for days, like so many others, and they can't send a truck due to a lack of fuel. What an irony! There is gasoline for beating people, but not to drink or bathe».
Related videos:
Filed under: