The US announced the confiscation of more than 2.2 million liters of biodiesel bound for a Cuban company sanctioned by the United States
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, October 8, 2026 / The Government of Cuba on Wednesday accused the United States of “intimidating with threats” states and companies that export or transport fuel to the island, and denounced as “illegal” actions that it described as “piracy and plunder.”
This was the reaction of Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, to the announcement made today by US authorities of the confiscation of more than 600,000 gallons (2.2 million liters) of biodiesel headed for Cuba, valued at around $2.8 million.
“The import of fuel by state and private entities in Cuba from any country is legal, in accordance with national legislation and international law,” the island’s deputy foreign minister stated in a declaration published on social media.
“The import of fuel by state and private entities in Cuba from any country is legal, in accordance with national legislation and international law,” the Cuban deputy foreign minister declared
He likewise maintained that “what is illegal is intimidating sovereign states with threats of reprisals from the US government if they export fuel to Cuba, or exporting or shipping companies from any country for taking part in commercial operations of that nature.”
He also described as “illegal” the act of “harassing and intercepting in international waters ships transporting fuel to Cuba, just as piracy and plunder are illegal.”
“Possessing, storing, distributing and selling that fuel within Cuban territory is also legal, as is transporting it in international waters,” Fernández de Cossío stressed.
He further denounced that it is “illegal, immoral and criminal to subject an entire people to economic asphyxiation as collective punishment for political ends.”
Agencies of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced at a press conference this Wednesday that they had confiscated ninety shipments of the fuel, 71 of them from Port Everglades, in Florida, and 19 from the Port of Houston, in Texas, which were bound for Enetec, a Cuban company sanctioned by the United States.
Department of Homeland Security agencies announced that they had confiscated ninety shipments of fuel bound for Enetec, a Cuban company sanctioned by the US
“It is a deliberate attempt to undermine US sanctions, and all of that is currently under investigation,” said José R. Figueroa, special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office in Miami.
The seizure of the fuel comes against the backdrop of the deep energy crisis Cuba has been suffering since mid-2024, aggravated since January by the US oil siege, a measure the United Nations has described as contrary to international law.
This situation has almost completely paralyzed the economy of the island, which is dragging through its worst crisis in decades, with shortages of food, medicine and other basic resources, compounded by daily blackouts due to frequent breakdowns at its already obsolete power plants and the fuel deficit.
Added to this are Washington’s rounds of sanctions against vital sectors of the island’s economy, which also threaten companies that do business with, or have provided financial, material or technological support to, the Havana Government.
Translated by GH.
______________________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.