Eight Arrested in Guantánamo for Fraud in Sale of Dollars

In Camagüey, several workers were arrested for the illegal sale of burial vault spaces.

Image of the arrest of one of the individuals accused of fraud, published by ‘Héroes de azul’ (Heroes in Blue) / Héroes de azul

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, November 19, 2025 — Eight people – five men and three women – have been arrested in Guantánamo for fraud in the sale of US dollars. The network had been operating in the province since at least July, but its operations extended to Havana, Villa Clara and Las Tunas, according to official police reports.

The news was reported by the Héroes de Azul account, an official profile dedicated to praising the successful operations of Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior’s forces. According to the publication, 100,000 Cuban pesos, mobile phones and lines used to carry out the fraud were seized during the operation. The economic impact of their activities is six million pesos and $1,000, according to the police.

The fraudsters used currency trading groups on social media to select their victims, agreed on a meeting point to hand over the currency, and fled the scene after receiving the money. “The authorities urged the public to report similar incidents in order to contribute to justice and public safety,” the post said, noting that this crime carries prison sentences of between six months and one year for those found guilty, as well as additional measures ranging from confiscation of illegally obtained assets to disqualification from certain functions.

The economic impact of their activities is six million pesos and 1,000 dollars, according to the police.

Héroes de azul echoed much less accurate information on the same day about the arrest of workers at the Camagüey cemetery for allegedly participating in the illegal sale of burial vault spaces. According to police details, those involved “obtained illegitimate financial benefits through these practices, which affect the transparency and dignity of funeral services.”

It is not known how many people are being investigated for these incidents, but just hearing about it has made Camagüey residents aware that the funeral home is acting illegally by prioritising burials in exchange for money. “The day I went to bury my mother, one of the gravediggers offered me a grave for her alone for 10,000 pesos. It was disrespectful,” one user reported. “And then there are the funeral home workers, who charge 5,000 dollars to prioritise transfers,” another one mentioned.

In recent years, the ruling party has created an ecosystem of affiliated accounts that publicise numerous crimes, always after they have been detected or the cases have been resolved. Mostly, these are relatively small matters: minor scams and drug seizures, or cases of corruption which, although they have an impact on citizens’ lives, are not particularly significant.

Readers often criticise these profiles for not providing information on major cases of corruption and crimes involving senior government officials.

Translated by GH

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