The Provincial People's Court of Sancti Spíritus sentenced four individuals for stealing and illegally selling small gas canisters, with sentences ranging from two to twelve years in prison, reported the official newspaper Escambray this Friday.
The First Criminal Chamber held the oral trial over two days for case 14 of 2026, and established the level of involvement of each defendant in the crimes of burglary, receiving stolen goods, and illicit economic activity.
Two of the condemned dedicated their nights and early mornings to stealing cylinders from over 20 inhabited homes in the city.
One of them received 12 years of imprisonment, while the other got 10 years, both for ongoing robbery with force.
In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered them to jointly compensate the owners for the damages caused and to indemnify them for the stolen property.
The prosecution emphasized "the seriousness of the incidents given that the robberies occurred in occupied homes," and the victims who appeared before the court "reported feeling financially impacted."
A third defendant was sentenced to two years and six months for ongoing receipt of stolen goods, as he was buying the items from the thieves and reselling them "without verifying their provenance."
He received two years for engaging in illegal economic activity, as he was involved in the clandestine sale of gas that he obtained by purchasing cards and contracts from individuals who did not use that resource.
All were imposed additional sanctions of deprivation of rights and prohibition from leaving the national territory until they serve their sentences, the source specified.
The parties have 10 days from the written notification of the judgment to file an appeal for cassation.
In June 2025, the Ministry of the Interior dismantled a similar network in Sancti Spíritus consisting of four individuals who operated between January and May of that year, with the main suspect admitting to 25 incidents of burglary in homes in the provincial capital.
Both cases are set against a prolonged supply crisis that has rendered liquefied gas a scarce and sought-after commodity.
Since October 2025 and until last July, over 37,000 customers in the province have been without fuel, while the eight distribution points in the city have had no sales.
That void has fueled an illegal business that thrives in Sancti Spíritus: 10-kilogram bundles have been offered for as much as 70,000 Cuban pesos in the informal market, compared to the 350 pesos set by the official price established by Resolution 155/2026.
On a national scale, 834,000 of the 1.7 million registered customers were unable to obtain liquefied gas through the state network during the distributions in April, as part of the worsening energy crisis affecting the island.
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