Search results for: coleros

Ulises and Arminda, Retirees and Professional ‘Coleros’ at the ATMs in Cienfuegos, Cuba

The elderly save others long waits under the sun or rain and charge them 1,000 pesos for their service 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 2 March 2025 –14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 2 March 2025 — They are just shadows in the middle of the dim light in front of the branch of the Banco … Continue reading “Ulises and Arminda, Retirees and Professional ‘Coleros’ at the ATMs in Cienfuegos, Cuba”

The Fight Against the ‘Coleros’ is Replaced by New Controls in Havana Food Stores

The “Operation to Fight Coleros*,” (LCC) which began in Havana in August 2020, is coming to an end. The innumerable cases of corruption linked to these groups, called to organize the waiting lines outside stores, have forced a change in the sales policy in the capital that will hand over control to store personnel, so … Continue reading “The Fight Against the ‘Coleros’ is Replaced by New Controls in Havana Food Stores”

Cuba’s ‘Fight Against the Coleros’ Continues, Despite Official Announcement in Havana to the Contrary

Havana, Juan Diego Rodríguez, 1 December 2022 — Although the Government of Havana insisted that the Lucha Contra Coleros (LCC) [Fight Against Coleros*] operations would end as of this very Thursday, a tour of the capital shows that the measures are still in force. In Plaza de Carlos III, for example, the LCCs were working … Continue reading “Cuba’s ‘Fight Against the Coleros’ Continues, Despite Official Announcement in Havana to the Contrary”

With Rented Ration Cards, the ‘Coleros’* of Luyano, Cuba, Gain Power Once Again

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, 13 November 2022 — Peace did not last long in the store on Melones street in Luyanó, Havana, where following the death of an elderly man on November 1st, a network of corruption between employees and coleros* was uncovered. The employees, according to residents of the area, had a team of … Continue reading “With Rented Ration Cards, the ‘Coleros’* of Luyano, Cuba, Gain Power Once Again”

Rain of Judicial Sentences for Resellers and ‘Coleros’ in Villa Clara

14ymedio, Havana, 1 September 2021 — In the first six months of this year, 78 people were tried for crimes related to speculation and hoarding in Villa Clara and only five were acquitted. The others ended up with prison sentences, sometimes commuted to correctional work, many were fined and all the assets involved were confiscated. … Continue reading “Rain of Judicial Sentences for Resellers and ‘Coleros’ in Villa Clara”

The ‘Coleros’ Are Winning the Propaganda Battle Against the Communist Regime

14ymedio, Eliás Amor Bravo, Economist, August 26, 2020 — Are the coleros (people who stand in line for others) so bad? Is the repression against them justified? The unending lines that stretch for blocks in the early hours of dawn are a habitual phenomenon in the geography of Cuban commerce, above all for buying basic goods … Continue reading “The ‘Coleros’ Are Winning the Propaganda Battle Against the Communist Regime”

Cuba is Criticized for Home Detentions, Dollarization and Persecution of ‘Coleros’

14ymedio, Havana, August 3, 2020 — The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), headquartered in Madrid, in its July report, denounced the consolidation of a new pattern of repression on the Island, keeping activists in their homes. According to the NGO, although the practice isn’t new, it has increased this year. Already in February, before … Continue reading “Cuba is Criticized for Home Detentions, Dollarization and Persecution of ‘Coleros’”

The Castro Regime Declares War on the ‘Coleros’

Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, August 4, 2020 — The Regime designed by Fidel Castro has been based historically on informing, pitting Cubans against each other. The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs) were created to accomplish this mission. Denouncing deviant, non-revolutionary behavior was the slogan, so that then the authorities could take punitive … Continue reading “The Castro Regime Declares War on the ‘Coleros’”

Cuban Army, Police and Block Watch Committees Lead More than 3,000 Groups to Persecute ‘Coleros’ and ‘Hoarders’

14ymedio, Havana, 5 August 2020 — The front opened by Cuban authorities against the “scoundrels,” advanced in recent days by a media campaign, is already on the ground. According to Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, 3,054 groups have been created with 22,281 people to pursue coleros (people who stand in line for others), hoarders and illegal … Continue reading “Cuban Army, Police and Block Watch Committees Lead More than 3,000 Groups to Persecute ‘Coleros’ and ‘Hoarders’”

Defending the ‘Coleros’ and ‘Dishonest Speculators’

Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 29 July 2020 — Granma, on its website, says that complaints from readers about so-called “dishonest speculators” are accumulating. Really, you can’t fall much lower or be worse. On the part of Granma, of course. The article, I can’t remember the author, describes the long lines and the coleros, who are … Continue reading “Defending the ‘Coleros’ and ‘Dishonest Speculators’”

‘Coleros’: The Business of Standing in Line / 14ymedio

14YMEDIO, 18 August 2014 – From Thursday night at 10:00 PM Anabel stood in the line at International Legal Counsel on 22nd Street in Playa. She’d already tried at dawn that morning, when she thought if she got there at 5:00 AM she would have a good chance. But she was wrong, they only took … Continue reading “‘Coleros’: The Business of Standing in Line / 14ymedio”

The Art of Organizing Gas Station Lines in Cuba

There are cars that come with three tanks in the trunk, because they know the pump attendant , and they fill up to 300 liters to resell later. 14ymedio, José Lassa, Havana, 11 December 2024 — The nearby Riviera movie theater, in the middle of the Havana Film Festival, was deserted on Tuesday. The real … Continue reading “The Art of Organizing Gas Station Lines in Cuba”

At the Central Post Office in Cienfuegos, a Single Employee Serves the Public

“Today it will take two hours, at least,” estimates Antonio, a retiree who comes to collect his pension 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 30 September 2024 — A few blocks from Cienfuegos Bay, the post office office on San Carlos Street is buzzing with dissatisfied customers. They have no place to sit, and as the … Continue reading “At the Central Post Office in Cienfuegos, a Single Employee Serves the Public”

ATMs in Cienfuegos “Die” at Any Time of the Day

The lines to withdraw cash begin to form from dawn, with the arrival of the first ‘coleros’ who charge 1,000 pesos to wait in line for others 14ymedio, Cienfuegos, 19 July 2024 — The ATMs located at the Banco Popular de Ahorro branch on Cienfuegos Boulevard seem to be working this Friday. Customers are encouraged … Continue reading “ATMs in Cienfuegos “Die” at Any Time of the Day”

The Everyday Question in the Pharmacies of Matanzas, Cuba: “Did the Medications Arrive?”

14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Matanzas, 8 June 2024 — At the crack of dawn, the elderly and the ‘coleros‘* begin to turn up at the pharmacies on Tirry Road, in the Iglesias neighborhood or in El Naranjal, in the city of Matanzas. It’s early, but the heat already suffocates those who wait for the pharmacies … Continue reading “The Everyday Question in the Pharmacies of Matanzas, Cuba: “Did the Medications Arrive?””