With blackouts leaving thousands of Cubans without electricity for hours, three people were arrested in Old Havana while making illegal connections to the grid, a dangerous practice that highlights the tension between the energy emergency and the solutions some are seeking on their own.
The police intervention took place on Friday night at the corner of Aponte and Corrales, according to information shared on Facebook by the official profile Guayacandecuba.
In the operation, the police forces seized two ladders, work tools, and several meters of electrical cable, the source detailed.
The arrest occurred amidst an energy crisis that has subjected the country to prolonged power outages and repeated partial and total disconnections from the National Electric System (SEN).
In Havana, during the early hours of Thursday, for example, 97 circuits were reported out of service and an impact of 258 MW. In some areas, power outages exceed eight hours daily, a situation that has prompted part of the population to seek alternatives to access electricity.
The arrest sparked mixed reactions on social media. Some users directly linked the illegal connections to the electricity shortage. "That's a result of the electricity shortage," one commented.
Another questioned the authorities' response to a crisis affecting the population. "The government kills you, forces you to be creative, and then protects you, how beautiful!" he wrote.
For others, the problem is not solved with arrests, but with the restoration of electrical service. "The solution is not to arrest them; it's for the power to be restored, period," summarized an internet user.
There were also those who called for sanctions against the detainees and warned about the dangers of manipulating the electrical grid without the proper conditions. "Here, it’s hard to know what is legal; cables are run from one building to another to see who has power. We are survivors," commented another person.
The publication that disseminated the operation warned that these connections not only involve the illegal use of electricity but can also cause fatal accidents. The manipulation of cables and electrical networks without the proper safety measures poses a risk to those making the connections and to others.
While authorities take action against these practices, the energy crisis continues to affect the daily lives of Cubans. The reactions to the arrests reveal the clash between the demand for law enforcement, the risks of illegal connections, and the discontent of those who have been enduring prolonged blackouts for years.
In June, an operation in Guantánamo detected several homes in the central and southern areas of the city that were illegally connected to the electrical system to take advantage of the service in prioritized circuits.
Additionally, in several neighborhoods of the city of Santiago de Cuba they dismantled networks of fraudulent electricity connections, which are believed to have caused irreversible damage to transformers.
In July, residents of Calabazar, in the capital municipality of Boyeros, caught linemen from the Electric Union who were illegally selling the neighborhood’s electricity supply for money.
This Friday, an attempt to steal dielectric oil at the Cuban substation in Bronce, Guanabacoa, was also thwarted.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported 479 criminal acts against the National Electric Power System up to August, with more than 460 open criminal investigations between 2025 and the first half of the year.
The authorities have responded with an iron fist, considering that 100% of those tried for sabotage against the SEN between January 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 received sentences of over 10 years.
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