Authorities in the province of Guantánamo are investigating the alleged illegal sale of at least eight bags of imported rice found in a home in the locality of Campanón, in the municipality of El Salvador.
The case, reported by the official Facebook profile "Guantánamo and its Truth," raised suspicions that the product could be part of the donation provided by China and intended for the basic food basket.
The alert is believed to have arisen after a neighbor's report, who drew attention to the characteristics of the product and its packaging, as well as its alleged marketing.
The authorities seized the rice at the residence, and the involved citizen —who, according to the report, had no employment connection— was unable to justify the origin of the product.
According to the official profile, the lack of an explanation regarding the origin of the rice reinforced suspicions of possible illegal acquisition and prompted the initiation of the corresponding investigations.
So far, it has not been officially confirmed whether the cereal corresponds to the Chinese donation.
The official source stated that investigations are ongoing to determine the exact origin of the rice and to establish accountability. This inquiry should clarify not only how the product ended up in that household but also whether other individuals were involved in its alleged diversion and commercialization.
Reactions: between applause and distrust
The publication generated a wave of comments that mixed support for the operation with deep skepticism about its actual scope.
Several users demanded that the investigation not be limited to who had the rice.
"It is very necessary to reach the supplier", demanded a user. Another was more explicit and insisted on "tracing the chain of supply, from where it came from to the home of the person involved."
Distrust dominated much of the reactions.
"The people do not see the donations"; "This is not new, it's something widespread, especially when it's a donation"; "Now they confiscate it, but it doesn't go to the people, you can be sure of that," were other opinions.
The Chinese donation
In January 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping authorized the donation of 60,000 tons of rice to Cuba in four shipments, along with 80 million dollars for electrical equipment. In addition to a previous shipment, the total committed to the island in 2026 amounts to 90,000 tons.
The third shipment of 15,000 tons arrived on August 13 at the Haiphong terminal of the Port of Havana, in a ceremony presided over by the Deputy Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga.
The bags used in that donation have inscriptions in Chinese and Spanish —"Assistance from China", "Rice from China", and "For a Shared Future"— markings that make it possible to identify the packaging used in those shipments, although on their own they do not prove that the bags used in Guantánamo came from that donation.
After receiving that shipment, Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla thanked for the donation, describing it as a sign of "the unwavering solidarity and brotherhood between both nations, demonstrated in the most challenging times."
Background on food diversions and reports on donations
In February 2026, five workers from the Wholesale Food Company of Las Tunas were sentenced to between 11 and 13 years in prison for the embezzlement of rice, sugar, peas, and beans intended for the family basket, with an estimated loss of 623,088 pesos affecting more than 50,000 families.
In addition, in April, the NGO Food Monitor Program reported that donations from Mexico may have ended up in state-owned stores in MLC, an allegation that the Cuban government denied.
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