Against the backdrop of a U.S.-led maximum pressure economic campaign and an energy blockade that has worsened fuel shortages and strained Cuba’s National Electric System (SEN), Cuban state institutions have intensified a crackdown on criminal activity targeting the country’s critical energy infrastructure. As announced by the Cuban Attorney General’s Office in an official statement released August 31, 2026, law enforcement and judicial bodies have opened more than 460 criminal investigations into offenses against the SEN between 2025 and the first half of 2026, with charges ranging from sabotage and property damage to burglary, theft, and receipt of stolen goods.
The current energy crisis in Cuba has been amplified by the U.S. economic blockade, which aims to erode public resilience and inflict widespread hardship on the Cuban population. In this high-stakes context, protecting critical infrastructure—including electricity generation and distribution networks, water supplies, transportation systems, and communications hubs—has become a top national priority. These sectors are foundational to public well-being, economic stability, national security, and domestic order, making any attack on them a direct threat to the entire country.
Under Cuban law, Articles 125 and 126 of the national Penal Code outline harsh penalties for the crime of sabotage, ranging from 7 years of imprisonment up to life incarceration or the death penalty. In a landmark ruling issued in May 2025, Cuba’s Supreme People’s Court clarified that any act of vandalism that steals, damages, alters, or disables components of the national power system, or any other critical infrastructure supporting the country’s economic and social development, qualifies as sabotage. The ruling emphasized that these acts fuel public insecurity, disrupt daily life, and directly undermine state and government efforts to stabilize the energy sector and support the population.
An analysis of the 460+ investigations shows the most common offenses include theft of dielectric oil from power transformers, removal of structural brackets from high-voltage transmission towers, theft and cutting of power cables and network bolts, and deliberate damage to photovoltaic solar parks. Reports of dielectric oil theft alone topped 300 across all Cuban provinces over the 18-month period, with the highest rates of incidents recorded in Matanzas, Ciego de Ávila, Mayabeque, Santiago de Cuba, and Artemisa.
The damage caused by these criminal acts extends far beyond interrupted power service. Thousands of families have faced prolonged blackouts that cut off access to other essential services, while key production facilities that supply food, water, and communications have been forced to shut down. Agricultural operations have also sustained major damage, and many stolen-component transformers have been left irreparable. In a tragic twist, multiple perpetrators have been killed while attempting to steal oil from live, energized power lines.
Investigations by Ministry of the Interior specialized units have found that most of these illicit activities occur in low-traffic, poorly lit areas with no permanent security presence. Stolen dielectric oil is typically trafficked on the black market and resold for use as substitute fuel.
The Attorney General’s Office has maintained strict oversight of all ongoing investigations, confirming that 87% of defendants in these cases are being held in pre-trial detention. Prosecutors have consistently pushed for severe sentences, routinely pursuing charges of sabotage given the extreme harm these acts cause to the public and national infrastructure. Any assets linked to the crimes—including vehicles, agricultural machinery, and proceeds from illicit sales—are eligible for seizure or confiscation by the state.
To date, all individuals tried for SEN-related offenses in 2026 have been convicted of sabotage, with most sentences falling between 9 and 20 years of imprisonment. The uniform conviction rate underscores the Cuban judiciary’s commitment to cracking down on these harmful acts.
In its statement, the Attorney General’s Office noted that these destructive acts exacerbate Cuba’s already fragile energy crisis and hamper government efforts to restore stable power service. At the same time, the crackdown has spurred new efforts to expand preventive protections, strengthen regulatory enforcement, and increase vigilance among community organizations, state entities, and the general public.
Upholding its mission to defend socialist legality and operate in full compliance with Cuba’s Constitution and national laws, the Attorney General’s Office reaffirmed that no individual who harms public well-being amid these already challenging circumstances will escape accountability.