Man Arrested with Homemade Rifle in Matanzas Municipality

This Thursday, authorities detained a man in the Playa Girón community, located in the Ciénaga de Zapata municipality of Matanzas, after discovering a homemade rifle inside his home. The individual, identified as Yuniesky Sobrino Sayas, was unable to provide a valid justification for possessing the weapon, leading to his immediate arrest by local law enforcement, according to reports from the pro-government outlet "Con Todos La Victoria."

Official sources indicate that Yuniesky — who was unemployed and had a criminal record for the crime of receiving stolen goods — failed to produce any legal documentation or offer a reasonable explanation for the rifle's origin. The firearm was seized as part of an operation aimed at curbing the spread of "illegal" and "potentially dangerous" items.

The authorities have confirmed that the man will face charges for the illegal possession of a firearm, an offense that, under the Cuban Penal Code, carries the possibility of imprisonment. The incident has stirred concern among local residents, while the Cuban regime emphasizes its "zero-tolerance" policy against criminal acts, social indiscipline, and illegalities that threaten public safety.

In another incident in Matanzas, Dioscórides Rosales Cabrera was arrested in March after an unregistered shotgun was found in his vehicle. This was part of a vehicle inspection operation in the Smith Comas area. Rosales Cabrera had previous offenses related to hoarding and damage.

The Cuban government has recently approved a new decree to tighten the control over firearms and ammunition, aiming to restrict access to weapons among criminals and civilians amid a worrying increase in gun-related violence across the country.