What left Mexico as humanitarian aid for Cuba ended up as merchandise in stores that sell exclusively in dollars. An investigation by Azteca Noticias verified that products sent as donations are being sold in establishments linked to the military in Havana and other provinces.
“Nothing has arrived here”: Cubans denounce that humanitarian aid is not reaching the population.
Among the documented cases is the so-called “welfare bean,” a product that was supposed to be distributed free of charge to the population, but which is now being offered to the public in wholesale distributors and stores that operate in foreign currency.
On the island, where the local currency has depreciated drastically, the price is inaccessible to most citizens.
One witness described the current situation this way: “Nothing has arrived here, everything is the same. We are going through difficult times; we are surviving, and that’s what we have to face.”
Another testimony gathered during the investigation reflects how the sales are conducted: “My dear, what do you want? Thirty bags or thirty bales?”
Sources consulted indicate that a 30-kilogram sack is being offered for $43, which is equivalent to more than one dollar per one-kilogram bag of beans.
Chronology of Mexican aid that ended up in dollar stores in Cuba
The reports gathered by this publication point to a pattern that residents describe as an “open secret” on the island.
Mexico sends ships with donations intended to support the food crisis in Cuba.
The containers arrive at the port of Havana, where their official unloading is documented.
The products disappear from public distribution channels, such as the ration book.
The same food items appear in stores controlled by military structures, where payment can only be made in dollars.
One of the testimonies collected in the province of Matanzas summarizes the phenomenon:
“None of the products from the supposed humanitarian aid from the president of Mexico have reached the population. We only see images of the ships in Havana Bay, but nothing has arrived here. Everything is the same.”
Mexican Products Appear in Military Stores in Cuba
Another resident claims that stores run by the military-run state-owned retail system have begun displaying products that were previously unavailable.
“What makes me wonder is that the hard-currency stores, which are military-owned, were empty before this incident, and now they are completely full. I see the stores now, and I know that donations have arrived from various countries.”
In a store linked to TRD Caribe, a retail chain associated with the Revolutionary Armed Forces, half a kilo of Mexican beans is being sold for $2.97.
A witness describes what he found inside the store: “It’s full of lentils, white beans, chickpeas, and black beans from Mexico. That bean costs $2.97.”
The sources consulted also reported the sale of toilet paper of Mexican origin.
“I was in a store, and I had to make up a story because they were watching me. They wouldn’t let me take pictures. I had to say it was to compare prices with private stores.”
Another Cuban confirms the same pattern:
“They haven’t given us anything here. It’s an open secret that they sell everything in the TRD stores run by the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Council of State, and it’s all in dollars.”
A Mexican citizen living on the island also asserts that the perception among the population is clear: “This is true. Many people in Cuba, when they hear I’m Mexican, say that Mexico is very supportive of Cuba, but it all stays to make money.”
The result, according to the testimonies gathered, is that the humanitarian aid intended for the population ends up on the shelves of hard-currency stores, inaccessible to a large portion of Cubans.
Source: tvazteca
