In the province, 560 criminal acts were committed, 28 more than the previous year.
14ymedio, Madrid, May 22, 2026 — Not all official media outlets are reproducing the news about the new National Exercise for the Prevention and Combating of Crime — the fifth of its kind — currently taking place in Cuba with mere vagueness, voluntarist prose, or exemplary stories. In Artemisa, for example, they admit that crimes have increased.
Specifically, 560 criminal acts were committed in the province, 28 more than the previous year, and most of them (426) were theft with force. These occurred mainly, El Artemiseño reported, in the local districts of Los Pinos, San Cristóbal 1, Taco Taco, and José Martí.
The most frequent type of theft, said Lieutenant Colonel Víctor Abat García, delegate of the Ministry of the Interior, is cattle theft. The military official also reported the theft in the municipality of San Cristóbal of 1,656 liters of dielectric oil from transformers, which he described as an “unacceptable phenomenon at the present time.” This type of crime, he warned, “must generate greater severity at a time when the U.S. Government is intensifying its energy blockade against Cuba.”
The remarks by the municipal governor of Artemisa, Idalmys Quiñones González, nevertheless revealed that “greater effectiveness is still needed” in the prosecution of crimes.
In Santiago de Cuba, a “rigorous follow-up” is being carried out on “ten cases of alleged crimes and administrative corruption”
Meanwhile, in Santiago de Cuba, officials at the meeting regarding the Exercise — which is taking place between May 18 and 23 — reported that they are carrying out a “rigorous follow-up” on “ten cases of alleged crimes and administrative corruption that have had a significant impact on the province.” They said more details on the matter would be provided this Friday.
On Tuesday, the Provincial Court of Matanzas sentenced three citizens to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years for “robbery with violence or intimidation against persons in the degree of attempt,” in an “exemplary” trial framed within the same initiative to combat “irregularities.”
The three defendants, whose names were not released, were inside a home in the town of Máximo Gómez, in the municipality of Perico, intending to seize valuables when they were surprised by one of the residents, whom they “attacked and caused multiple bodily injuries.”
The Court, in accordance with the classification presented by the Prosecutor’s Office, sentenced two of the accused to 15 years in prison each, and the third to 10 years. As additional penalties, they were stripped of certain rights and subjected to a travel ban.
In addition, the Prosecutor’s Office requested “compensation for the victim’s wife for medical treatment and transportation expenses resulting from the injuries inflicted on her husband during the criminal incident.” The report does not specify the amount, but it highlights the socioeconomic problems on the Island, where healthcare is supposed to be free.
The deployment of the current Exercise, the official state newspaper Granma said in an article, “is taking place under circumstances of special complexity, as a consequence of the intensified economic, commercial, and financial blockade, the oil embargo, the increase in sanctions, hostility, psychological warfare, and threats of military action by the United States government against Cuba.”
The previous campaign of this kind concluded with thousands of inspections that led to the immediate closure of nearly 70 businesses, mainly for violations of banking regulations. Tax violations amounting to 1.1098 billion pesos were also identified, and fines were imposed that rapidly recovered nearly 53 million pesos.
In addition, dozens of exemplary trials were held through which the authorities attempt to project an image of control and security amid a situation that increasingly demonstrates the opposite.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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