Search results for: el químico chemical

Young Man Arrested for Setting Fire to a Homeless Man Sleeping on the Street in Cárdenas

Agustín, a well-known figure in the neighborhood, died from the severity of his burns 14ymedio, Havana, 20 February 2026 — The death of Agustín, a homeless man known in Cárdenas as Bin Laden, has once again spotlighted the vulnerability of beggars in Cuba. An 18-year-old has been identified as the alleged perpetrator of the crime … Continue reading “Young Man Arrested for Setting Fire to a Homeless Man Sleeping on the Street in Cárdenas”

El4tico, the Rebellious Youth That Those in Power in Cuba Want To Silence

The arrest of Ernesto Medina and Kamil Zayas is a warning to Cubans under 40: emigrate before repression catches up with you 14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Havana, 7 February 2026 —  My generation has packed its bags. And the few of us who remain on the island have had to learn another kind of … Continue reading “El4tico, the Rebellious Youth That Those in Power in Cuba Want To Silence”

Authorities Blame a Florida-Based Network for the Production and Sale of ‘El Químico’

Cuban police arrest 24 people and confiscate homes, vehicles and 11 million pesos 14ymedio, Havana, December 13, 2025 –The Cuban authorities insist on accusing external forces of being behind the spread of drugs on the island. This time, they found the pretext in a police operation announced on Friday against an alleged network dedicated to … Continue reading “Authorities Blame a Florida-Based Network for the Production and Sale of ‘El Químico’”

Synthetic Drugs Like the ‘Chemical’ are Diversifying and Expanding in Cuba

The Ministry of the Interior claims that this is due, among other causes, to the “growing flow of travelers” 14ymedio, Havana, September 16, 2025 — During Monday’s broadcast of the program Mesa Redonda, the authorities acknowledged that in Cuba, drug consumption is expanding and diversifying, especially towards synthetic substances, which are “cheaper and less risky … Continue reading “Synthetic Drugs Like the ‘Chemical’ are Diversifying and Expanding in Cuba”

In Holguín, the ‘Chemical’ Takes Over Marijuana Alley

Students from the two neighboring schools “get high in broad daylight” Instead of prioritizing prevention, authorities mount exemplary trials with sentences of up to 20 years in prison. 14ymedio, Miguel García, Holguín, 26 June 2025 — Holguín’s Marijuana Alley earned its name years ago for the ease of finding someone to sell some “marijuana cigarettes.” … Continue reading “In Holguín, the ‘Chemical’ Takes Over Marijuana Alley”

A New ‘Chemical’ Has Arrived in Cuba That Is More Lethal and up to 100 Times Stronger

14ymedio, Havana, May 10, 2025 — All residents of Sancti Spíritus know that the dangerous neighborhood of Kilo 12 is the place to buy the “chemical” (químico) in the city. What they did not know, which the police warned about in the official press on Saturday, is that it is also where this drug has … Continue reading “A New ‘Chemical’ Has Arrived in Cuba That Is More Lethal and up to 100 Times Stronger”

‘El Químico’ Is No Longer Just for Poor People in Cuba

A young doctor tells ’14ymedio’ that among his colleagues “there are many hooked” on this cheap and highly addictive drug. 14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, havana, 21 April 2025 — “Time of death 2:32 in the morning, cause: cardiac arrest,” summarizes the death certificate of a young man from Havana, 28, who died earlier this year … Continue reading “‘El Químico’ Is No Longer Just for Poor People in Cuba”

‘Químico Sold Here’: The Cry of Lujanó Residents Against Drug Traffickers in Cuba

 A sign painted next to a house led the cannabinoid sellers to flee. 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 31 March 2025 — “Químico for sale here,” the synthetic cannabinoid, commonly called ’the chemical’ that is wreaking havoc in Cuba. The phrase appeared painted in enormous white letters on the asphalt of Pérez Street in Luyanó … Continue reading “‘Químico Sold Here’: The Cry of Lujanó Residents Against Drug Traffickers in Cuba”

In the Midst of Cuba’s Crusade Against Drugs, the ‘Chemical’ Comes to the Streets of Havana

“They don’t eat breakfast, they don’t eat lunch, they don’t eat anything, they just stuff themselves with that, it doesn’t lead to anything good.” 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 19 March 2025 — A prisoner to his convulsions, a young man tosses on the ground, amid guttural screams, while he hits himself with fury. He … Continue reading “In the Midst of Cuba’s Crusade Against Drugs, the ‘Chemical’ Comes to the Streets of Havana”

January Rumors: Trump Prepares to Invade Cuba and Díaz-Canel Agrees On an Escape Plan with Raul Castro

Cuban soldiers in Venezuela, impunity for Sandro Castro, police violence and ‘el químico’ (the chemical) 14ymedio, Havana, 10 February 2025 — Donald Trump’s invasion of Cuba is just around the corner. The rumor – with endless comments, reactions and conspiracy theories – has been repeated hundreds of times in January. The regime’s tension in the face … Continue reading “January Rumors: Trump Prepares to Invade Cuba and Díaz-Canel Agrees On an Escape Plan with Raul Castro”

Cuban Police Profiles on Social Networks Warn of the Increase in Arrests for Trafficking the ‘Chemical’

14ymedio, Havana, 24 January 2025 — “Tolerance for you? No.” These were the words of Cazador Cazado [Hunter Hunted], a profile related to the Ministry of the Interior, in the site’s report on the arrest of a man who carried “85 cigarettes with a type of químico [chemical].” The arrest, reported last Wednesday, occurred on … Continue reading “Cuban Police Profiles on Social Networks Warn of the Increase in Arrests for Trafficking the ‘Chemical’”

April Rumors: Raúl Castro’s ‘Chemical’ Grandson, Death of Ramiro Valdés, Dog Meat

14ymedio/Yucabyte, Havana, 22 May 2024 — El químico (the chemical), the fashionable synthetic drug in Havana, slowly takes over the Cuban underworld. The possibility that Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, El Cangrejo (The Crab), grandson and bodyguard of Raúl Castro, is the man behind its manufacture and traffic – in increasingly vast networks – was one … Continue reading “April Rumors: Raúl Castro’s ‘Chemical’ Grandson, Death of Ramiro Valdés, Dog Meat”

Two Men Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Drugs in Santiago de Cuba

In another exemplary trial, in Las Tunas, a young man was sentenced to one year in prison for possession. 14ymedio, Havana, May 26, 2025 — The immediate result of the current “national exercise” against drugs -the third in six months in the country and the fifth in Havana- is, as in previous ones, the publicity … Continue reading “Two Men Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Drugs in Santiago de Cuba”

New Party Leader in Las Tunas, Cuba: ‘The People Can’t Eat Explanations’

Osbel Lorenzo pointed out that only a third of the “production plans” in the province were implemented. 14ymedio, Madrid, 30 April 2025 — The arrival of the Party’s first secretary in Las Tunas will be hard to forget. Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, who assumed the position just a month ago, didn’t mince his words in his … Continue reading “New Party Leader in Las Tunas, Cuba: ‘The People Can’t Eat Explanations’”

With So Much Trash To Collect in Havana, No Street Sweeper Can Handle It

Without gloves and without supplies to carry out his task, he is faced with an inhumane task: saving what is the dirtiest city in Cuba. 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 22 April 2025 — The man was slumped on the sidewalk, in the shadow of a crumbling wall. He could have been a beggar—it’s not unusual … Continue reading “With So Much Trash To Collect in Havana, No Street Sweeper Can Handle It”