Thieves stole the glass doors from the Tienda Caribe «La Terraza», located on Aguilera Street in the Santa Bárbara neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba, during the early morning hours, in an incident that was captured in a video posted on Facebook by the content creator Cuba a Rajatabla, dedicated to exploring and documenting neighborhoods in the city.
What turns the robbery into a symbol of the impunity experienced in the province is its location: the establishment is located approximately 150 meters from the Motorized Police Unit of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) and about 50 meters from the identity card processing offices, which are part of MININT.
The author of the video recounts that he walked past the establishment without noticing the incident, and that it was neighbors who informed him of what had happened. "They told me later that they took that glass door in the early morning. They also went in and took the office door," he explained to the camera while showing the empty interior of the establishment.
The store was closed and empty of merchandise at the time of the robbery, so the thieves were only able to take the doors. Nevertheless, the content creator emphasized the boldness of the act: "They took it calmly and went in without a rush," he said, noting how close they were to the police presence.
For Cuba a Rajatabla, the direct cause is the darkness imposed by the electrical crisis. "It's not a policing issue, sir; it's about the darkness in Santiago. Criminals are running free," he stated, recalling previous videos in which he had already warned about the vulnerability that prolonged blackouts create in the neighborhoods of Santiago.
The Caribe Store Chain —formerly known as TRD Caribe or Currency Collection Stores— is a state-owned retail network established in 1994, linked to the GAESA business conglomerate of the Armed Forces.
The robbery is part of a growing insecurity pattern in Santiago de Cuba that has intensified throughout 2026 alongside power outages. Last August, newly installed solar lights on major avenues in the city were stolen just days after their installation. In September, two solar panels from a telephone booth in the same Reparto Santa Bárbara —the same neighborhood as the store— were taken, leaving about 900 users without energy backup.
The police response has also been repeatedly questioned: in a documented case, a family waited over ten hours for the arrival of the PNR after reporting a robbery, and the agents attributed the delay to a shift change. Faced with the inability to ensure safety with their own means, the authorities in Santiago have turned to nighttime neighborhood watch to protect public facilities.
"Do you remember what I told you about the issue of darkness? Do you recall the video I made on the rooftop of my house? The thieves are out and unvaccinated," concluded Cuba sharply, in a statement that summarizes the frustration of many residents of Santiago regarding a growing insecurity that advances alongside the blackouts.
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