Authorities in the municipality of Jovellanos, in the province of Matanzas, arrested a man accused of stealing metal angles from 110 kV high-tension towers in the San Carlos Popular Council, as reported by the official Facebook profile Con Todos La Victoria, affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior (MININT).
During the search at the individual's home, authorities found a base for 10 solar panels, primarily constructed with angles from high-voltage towers, along with 25 additional fragments of the same component.
The source indicated that two angles had disappeared from tower number five and another five from tower number six.
"Apparently, in the San Carlos Council, Jovellanos, someone mistook a 110 KV high-tension tower for a hardware store," the source joked.
Neighbors of Reparto Luisa also found another eight angular pieces hidden in a banana plantation, which they recovered and returned to the electric company.
“The electrical grid is not a warehouse for supplying personal projects. Let it be known: creativity is good, but not for dismantling what belongs to everyone”, the source concluded.
Indignation on social media over the theft of electrical components
The news sparked numerous reactions on Facebook, where several users demanded harsh penalties against those who steal components from high-voltage towers and warned about the risks to the electrical system.
"Zero tolerance for that theft, which is sabotage aimed at weakening high-tension towers. A firm hand against the responsible party," expressed a user.
Another pointed out the potential structural damage: "These acts of vandalism cause the weakening of structures, which means that, in the face of cyclones, they could collapse more easily."
Some commentators called for prison sentences of several decades and even the death penalty. Others questioned whether the detained individual was responsible for the theft.
"How we talk without knowing and without understanding people. He didn’t steal anything," one of them stated.
Jovellanos, among the municipalities most affected by thefts
The Provincial Defense Council of Matanzas warned at the beginning of October that Jovellanos is among the municipalities with the highest incidence of thefts from the National Electroenergetic System (SEN), along with Cárdenas, Jagüey Grande, and Colón.
By the end of August this year, the province had recorded 175 thefts of dielectric oil, compared to 136 throughout 2025, with over 55,950 liters stolen, 91 transformers damaged, and 43 out of 98 electrical substations affected, 12 of which are out of service.
The substation of the Gratitud batey, three kilometers from Jovellanos, was looted six times in just three months of 2025.
In the same municipality, another man was recently detained, this time arrested for cutting cables and removing a solar panel from the roof of a home in the Flor Crombet Popular Council.
The penalties established for sabotage to the electrical system
Cuban authorities have resorted to criminal provisions regarding sabotage to pursue specific damage to the country's electrical infrastructure.
The Opinion 475 of the People's Supreme Court, issued in May 2025, addressed the application of Article 125 of the Penal Code in effect since 2022 to incidents affecting critical infrastructure.
The penalties for the crime of sabotage include sentences ranging from seven to 15 years of imprisonment in its basic form, and when aggravating circumstances established by law are present, from 10 to 30 years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty.
The application of these provisions depends on the legal qualification and the circumstances of each case. The information disclosed about the arrest in Jovellanos does not specify what crime the accused is formally charged with.
Nationally, the Attorney General acknowledged more than 460 criminal investigations for offenses against the SEN between 2025 and the first half of 2026, over 300 of which were for the theft of dielectric oil in 97 municipalities across the 15 provinces.
According to the Supreme People's Tribunal, during 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, all individuals tried by the courts for Crimes Against State Security for such acts received sentences of more than ten years in prison.
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