The Supreme People's Court of Cuba upheld the sentences of four men who were sentenced to between 15 and 20 years in prison for stealing dielectric oil from the transformer of the Dairy Complex in Havana, which left the facility inoperative and caused losses exceeding 10 million pesos, the judicial body reported on Wednesday.
The four defendants are named Noerlis Agüero Aguirre, Yoel Noel Ortiz Fontes, Andy Travieso Salazar and Ramón David Cruz Grajales.
The Chamber of Crimes Against State Security confirmed the sanctions after assessing the degree of involvement of each participant, the aggravating circumstances—such as nighttime activity, profit motives, and the participation of more than three people—and the economic impact of the incident.
According to the information, the four individuals took possession of 140 liters of dielectric oil from the transformer at the electrical substation of the complex, packaged in seven 20-liter tanks, with the intent to sell them on the black market.
One of those involved worked as a security agent for the facility itself, which facilitated access to the premises during the early morning hours. Other members of the security team intercepted them as they attempted to leave with the oil.
"As a result of these actions, the power service to the Dairy Complex was interrupted, leading to a complete halt in the factory's production process, with an economic impact of 10,272,712.80 pesos on items intended, among others, for the standardized family basket and school snacks," the report emphasized.
He added that the compensation for the damage included acquiring dielectric oil and an additional repair cost of 81,591 pesos.
The crime was classified as sabotage under articles 125 and 126 of the Cuban Penal Code. The accessory penalties include deprivation of public rights, prohibition from leaving the country, and confiscation of property.
Only Agüero Aguirre appealed the sentence; the Chamber rejected the appeal and upheld the ruling in its entirety.
The case is part of a wave of dielectric oil thefts occurring nationwide. According to data from the Attorney General's Office, more than 460 criminal investigations into offenses against the electrical system were initiated during 2025 and the first half of 2026, with over 300 linked to the theft of this product, detected in all provinces and in 97 municipalities across the country, as reported in early September.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged before the National Assembly in July that theft occurs "daily" and that "the amount of oil that has been stolen from us is almost similar to what we are producing in the same period that they are stealing from us."
In previous cases, a man from Contramaestre received 12 years in prison for stealing 120 liters, while another citizen was sentenced to 10 years in Matanzas for taking 40 liters.
The magistrate Iliana Gómez Guerra, president of the Chamber of Crimes against State Security, noted that the sentences handed down this year for such offenses are mostly between nine and 20 years in prison.
Despite the punitive escalation, thefts have not ceased. The Electric Company of Havana announced at the end of September the use of chemical traps in substations to identify those attempting to steal dielectric oil from transformers.
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