A police operation in the municipality of Unión de Reyes, Matanzas, resulted in a man being prosecuted for alleged crimes of speculation and hoarding of medications, after authorities seized 74 lines of highly demanded drugs and medical supplies.
Radio Unión de Reyes reported this Tuesday that the operation was conducted by forces from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) in that territory and that the citizen remains under precautionary measures while the process continues before the Prosecutor's Office and the courts.
The lieutenant colonel Yasiel Prado Valdés, delegate of MININT in the municipality, stated that the investigation began after receiving repeated reports from residents about an
According to the authorities' version, during a search of a home in Unión de Reyes, 74 lines of medication were seized, along with other goods whose origin was deemed questionable.
The MININT states that the medications, many of which are scarce in pharmacies and hospitals in the province, may have been hoarded for personal profit and commercialization.
After an inspection conducted with specialists from the health sector, the authorities announced that the seized medications will be reintegrated into the public healthcare system.
The doctor Raidel Sotes Carrera, general director of Health in Unión de Reyes, explained that among the recovered products are everything from antibiotics to gynecological and obstetric medications.
According to the executive, a portion of the resources will be allocated to the guard services of health institutions, and depending on availability, they will also be used to cover controlled medications in community councils and the needs of nursing homes and vulnerable patients.
Sotes Carrera also pointed out that some of the medications will help strengthen areas that are currently deficient in providing care for pregnant women within the Maternal and Child Program (PAMI) and the municipal Maternal Home.
A video shared also on Facebook reiterated that the citizen is being prosecuted for alleged crimes related to speculation and hoarding of medical supplies and medications.
The information released does not publicly identify the accused, nor does it provide their account of the events or that of their defense. It also does not specify what precautionary measure was imposed on them.
The operation is also taking place amid a serious shortage of medications in Cuba recognized by the authorities themselves.
In July 2025, the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, admitted before the National Assembly that the country had access to only 30% of its basic medicine supply and acknowledged that the issues in the sector would not have an immediate solution.
The situation remained critical throughout 2026. In February, Portal once again acknowledged the shortage of medications, supplies, and other resources and explained that the official measures were primarily aimed at rationalizing and concentrating the available resources.
Provincial data indicates the extent of the shortages.
In August, authorities in Ciego de Ávila reported that 457 medications were missing and only about 10% of the basic list was available.
Among the shortages were antibiotics, antihypertensives, anticonvulsants, sedatives, and cardiac medications.
In parallel, Cuban authorities have conducted other operations related to the alleged illegal trade of medications.
At the beginning of September, the police confiscated several pharmaceuticals in Santiago de Cuba that, according to a source linked to the MININT, apparently were being sold illegally.
Likewise, in June, two women were arrested in Holguín for selling medications illegally, including domestically produced products and controlled drugs, according to a publication linked to the MININT.
The detentions also prompted numerous reactions from Cubans who pointed out that the informal market has become an alternative for many families due to the lack of medicines in state-run pharmacies.
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