Colonel Juan Carlos Poey Guerra, head of the Anti-Drug Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), declared on the Mesa Redonda program that "we can officially certify that there is no fentanyl in our country," following analyses conducted by the Central Forensic Laboratory. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that impacts the central nervous system and can be misused orally, inhaled, or intravenously, leading to dependence.
This statement from the Cuban military official comes amidst a national anti-drug campaign that has been active since January, with a particular focus on Havana due to its complexities. Poey Guerra reported actions taken against over 6,000 individuals, with more than 1,500 arrests, many of whom are currently in pre-trial detention.
Additionally, he highlighted the seizure of 81 kg of narcotics, 11,000 plants, 23,000 seeds, five firearms, and assets from traffickers, as well as the dismantling of five criminal networks operating out of the José Martí airport. The colonel emphasized that these operations demonstrate the "rigor and severity of our legal-penal policy," stating that the penalties have been significant.
Despite these claims, both experts and critical citizens question the accuracy of these figures, suggesting that the official narrative leans more towards self-congratulation than reality. The issue of synthetic drugs in Cuba, particularly the so-called cannabinoids known as "the chemical," continues to escalate despite government operations.
In May, the regime itself acknowledged that these drugs, often adulterated with fentanyl, formaldehyde, animal anesthetics, and benzodiazepines, are widespread across the island, resulting in intoxications, hospitalizations, and psychotic episodes among young people. Captain Leidy Laura Aragón Hernández, a toxicology specialist, explained that the drugs enter the country concealed in paper, bags, jewelry, or aromatic plants, making detection challenging.
In Havana neighborhoods, the sale of "little papers" remains rampant, primarily among teenagers and young adults. Entire families are involved in the trade, while the government continues to push its prevention and enforcement narrative, which in practice fails to halt the drug's spread.
The Supreme Court has toughened penalties for possessing synthetic cannabinoids without needing large physical quantities, raising sanctions for illegal possession to between one and three years in prison or fines of up to a thousand quotas. However, these measures do not tackle the root causes of the problem: lack of opportunities, youth unemployment, and social insecurity that facilitate drug use.
As MININT asserts the absence of fentanyl and promotes statistics that seem more like propaganda, Cuban youth remain the most affected. Drug trafficking adapts and expands quickly, evading controls and taking advantage of a country where social and economic crises merge with an inadequate governmental response and an official discourse that turns reality into propaganda.
On the streets, social media, and in hospitals, the evidence is undeniable: drugs are advancing, and state intervention is insufficient. The "fentanyl-free Cuba" portrayed by the regime is far removed from the reality experienced by young people who face the daily challenges of an epidemic that the government continues to downplay.