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

The Prosecutor’s Office asked for a 20-year prison sentence for a citizen convicted of selling marijuana, synthetic cannabinoid and hashish / Tribuna de La Habana

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, 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 Tuesday night, in the town of Pueblo Nuevo, in Holguín.

According to the report – which did not spare morals and scolding – Osmany González Medel “was traveling without remorse on public roads” when he was intercepted by patrolmen. This is the only thing that the profile, which has no qualms about publishing photos and identities, was willing to reveal about the case.

It added that the police are involved in “a constant battle against the trafficking of illicit substances” and that “preventing this type of behavior from proliferating is everyone’s task.” They also recognize that there is an “escalation” of concern about drug trafficking on the Island.

It was reported that two women were arrested in Havana and accused of selling drugs

On January 17, it was reported that two women were arrested in Havana accused of selling drugs in the town of Punta Brava, in the municipality of La Lisa. The official journalist Frank Enrique reported in a post – headlined “zero tolerance for drugs” – that the arrest was made possible by an operation carried out two days earlier.

In his message, the journalist offered more details: “They had more than 20 pieces of paper with the químico and methamphetamine, as well as a lot of money for these women, who do not work and were dedicated to enriching themselves through drug contamination among adolescents.”

Another example was given last December in Tribuna de La Habana, in a text entitled “Zero Impunity.” A drug trial against Osleyvis Alexey Tejeda González showed no tolerance. In the oral hearing, whose date was not specified, the Prosecutor’s Office asked for a 20-year prison sentence for selling marijuana, synthetic cannabinoid and hashish.

According to the media, the man was carrying “a capsule” with 24 marijuana cigarettes 

According to the media, the man was carrying “a capsule” with 24 marijuana cigarettes and 0.20 grams of ADB-Butinaca, a synthetic cannabinoid that – although the report does not say this – is the basis for the químico/chemical, a drug that has gained notoriety in Cuba due to its low price and its growing consumption among young people.

“The químico first gives them a lot of euphoria; they become hyperactive and even dangerous. Then comes a phase in which they are still, like stones,” Moraima, a 67-year-old woman, a resident of the neighborhood of La Rosita in Havana, told this newspaper.

The composition of the most popular drug on the streets of the capital can vary significantly, but the basis is synthetic marijuana mixed with drugs, something intended for the treatment of epilepsy, and some tranquilizer or any anesthetic. A dose can cost between 300 and 500 pesos, depending on the concentration and quality of its ingredients.

Drug trafficking is a topic in vogue and affects Cubans more and more. The officials can no longer hide it, and the official press attests to it. In Las Tunas, for example, the Ist Provincial Addictions Workshop was held this Thursday. In the forum, several specialists pointed out that the main substances consumed in the country are the chemical, marijuana, cocaine and some medicines.

One of the biggest challenges they face from the medical side – they pointed out – is in prevention. “Any approach to drugs and abuse is insufficient, because patients have lost the notion of danger.”

Another issue is awareness of the consequences of consumption, such as schizophrenic disorders and geno-embryotoxic effects

Another issue is awareness of the consequences of consumption, such as schizophrenic disorders, geno-embryotoxic effects during fertile ages, neurological alterations of the baby, ectopic pregnancies and neurodegenerative diseases.

According to Dr. Alejandro García Galcerán, director of the Mental Health Center of Centro Habana, in an article published by the official newspaper Granma last April, there is a “high rate of young women and pregnant women who consume drugs.”

In the interview, he added that “the use of substances is becoming, to some extent, a lifestyle in population groups. What is happening is that you start consuming earlier and earlier. The first experiences are between 13 and 14 years old; from 17 and 20 they can become addicted, and at 25 years there is an increase.” He also remarked that adolescents and young people represent “the most vulnerable group.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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