Four hooded individuals assaulted a property functioning as a mipyme early Saturday morning on Rita Street, almost at the corner of Piedra, in the Reparto Juanelo neighborhood, municipality of San Miguel del Padrón, Havana, according to a report by journalist and activist Camila Acosta via her Facebook account, based on the testimony of an eyewitness.
The assailants arrived in a light-colored Santa Fe vehicle without license plates.
Once inside, they opened fire in the house—the shots woke up the neighbors in the area—and sprayed the owner's eyes with spray, leaving her partially blind, according to Acosta's report.
"A light-colored Santa Fe car, with about four masked individuals, entered a house on Rita Street, near the corner of Piedra. They fired several shots into the house, alarming the neighbors. With a spray, they left the homeowner nearly blind. The car did not have a license plate," the eyewitness reported.
The house was occupied at that time by the owners and several workers from the small business, who managed to repel the attack.
"They only made it to the room because the workers defended themselves," specified the same source.
In the location, there were four bullet impacts. One worker was injured in the arm, although his condition was reported as stable, Acosta detailed.
"There is no one to control crime in Cuba," concluded the eyewitness who described the robbery that took place this Saturday in San Miguel del Padrón.
Following the incident, a police operation was deployed at the scene, captured in images shared on social media.
The assault is not an isolated incident. In early September, there was a report of a violent robbery against the Mipyme Almacenes Escambray in Siete Matas, Pinar del Río, which resulted in the arrest of seven individuals.
The micro, small, and medium enterprises (mipymes), legalized in Cuba in 2021, handle cash, goods, and equipment, making them a frequent target of crime.
The incident occurs amidst a sustained escalation of criminal violence on the island. According to the Cuban Observatory for Citizen Auditing (OCAC), during the first half of 2026, the number of homicides in Cuba increased by 43% compared to the same period in 2025, rising from 63 to 90 cases, while the lethality rate of crimes nearly doubled: from 5.23 to 10.35 deaths per 100 crimes.
For its part, Cubalex documented 52 homicides in August 2026, a monthly record since the organization began its monitoring in 2024, following the 37 recorded in July.
This deterioration of public safety occurs alongside a deep economic and energy crisis, with widespread blackouts that exacerbate citizens' vulnerability. Cuban authorities have not provided official crime statistics.
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