The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published photographs on Wednesday of the operation in which federal agents seized 90 shipments of biodiesel valued at over $2.8 million that were attempting to illegally reach Cuba, as confirmed by the visual distribution system of the Department of Defense.
The images, taken on Tuesday at facilities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, show rows of stacked ISO tanks under the watch of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, in what authorities described as an attempt to export fuel to Cuba in violation of federal laws.
The joint operation, which also involved the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce (BIS), was announced at a press conference held this Wednesday in Miami.
In total, the shipments exceed 620,000 gallons of biodiesel: 71 tanks containing approximately 500,000 gallons were retained at Port Everglades, while 19 additional shipments with nearly 120,000 gallons were seized at the Port of Houston, Texas.
According to an investigation by NBC Miami, CBP detected the shipments in early September through trade data analysis and intelligence, identifying that the export documents listed ENETEC S.A. as the final consignee, a Cuban state-owned company dedicated to the wholesale trade of fuels and lubricants based in Havana, which was sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on July 13, 2026, under Executive Order 14404.
The interdictions were carried out for alleged violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and export administration regulations.
At the time of the announcement, the agencies did not publicly identify the exporters involved nor did they report whether criminal charges had been filed.
José R. Figueroa, special agent in charge of HSI Miami, stated that the goal is "to continue identifying, disrupting, and investigating efforts to evade U.S. sanctions, protecting the integrity of export controls, and denying the Cuban government access to resources obtained in violation of the law."
For his part, Daniel Alonso, Director of Field Operations for CBP in Miami and Tampa, emphasized that his agency "remains steadfast in enforcing U.S. laws across the board, both in inbound commerce and outbound shipments."
This confiscation adds to a series of recent interdictions under the maximum pressure policy of the Trump administration against the Cuban regime.
In the summer of 2026, the Coast Guard intercepted the M/V Jaira Provider near Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, carrying approximately 220,000 gallons of diesel on board.
On September 5, another cargo ship, the M/V Grace, was boarded in the Caribbean between Cuba and Mexico and escorted to the Mexican port of Progreso, where the Mexican Navy confirmed fuel in its ballast tanks and containers.
The pressure on Cuba's energy supply comes at a time of unprecedented electrical crisis on the island: Cuba produces about 40,000 barrels of oil daily but needs between 90,000 and 110,000, relying on imports to cover nearly 60% of its demand.
Following the suspension of Venezuelan crude oil shipments since November 2025 and the drastic reduction of Mexican supplies, the country has experienced at least eight total collapses of the national electrical system, generation deficits exceeding 2,000 MW, and blackouts lasting up to 87 consecutive hours in some areas in 2026.
The collapse on September 18 was the most severe: it left nearly nine million people without electricity for approximately 32 hours.
Related videos:
Filed under: