Numerous Cuban participants of the Medical Mission in Venezuela are reporting that their personal belongings were allegedly stolen during their transport from various Venezuelan states to Cuba. This transport was managed by entities tied to the mission and the state-owned company, TRANSCARGO.
The allegations gained attention on the citizen platform NiO Reportando Un Crimen via Facebook, amassing over 367,000 views. The scandal highlights yet another chaotic aspect of the mission's withdrawal following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026.
According to accounts shared with the platform, in February, the Medical Mission's leadership instructed the collection of luggage from collaborators who had traveled to Cuba on vacation and did not return. These belongings were gathered in warehouses at Fuerte Tiuna in Caracas, where they stayed for months before being loaded into containers for sea transport to Cuba.
Disturbing Discovery
The shipments initially arrived at Mariel Port, where they reportedly sat for over six months before being sent to Santiago de Cuba. Upon attempting to claim their goods, the affected individuals encountered a shocking situation: a significant portion of the luggage from Barinas, Amazonas, and Apure was missing entirely.
In some cases, only two opened and allegedly looted pieces of luggage were found, with many not located at all. Most distressingly, several boxes arrived empty or filled with sticks, stones, blocks, and foam instead of the original contents.
Visual Evidence and Economic Impact
Photos accompanying the complaint reveal the inside of maritime containers filled with bundles wrapped in black plastic with shipping labels, presented by the victims as evidence of the state in which they received their cargo. Beyond the material losses, the financial burden was significant: some collaborators reportedly spent over 300,000 Cuban pesos on multiple trips to Santiago de Cuba in a desperate bid to retrieve their possessions amid an already fragile financial situation.
Institutional responses, based on testimonies, were terse and deemed unacceptable: individuals were told that if their belongings didn't arrive, they should simply forget about them.
Demand for Accountability
The platform emphasized, "It is not about accusing any individual without evidence. However, it's unacceptable for the property of numerous collaborators to vanish after months under institutional care, expecting the affected parties to just move on."
Feeling abandoned and mistreated by the very government structures that should have ensured the protection and return of their belongings, the Cuban collaborators demand a thorough audit of the entire custody chain—covering Venezuela, Fuerte Tiuna, Mariel Port, and Santiago de Cuba Port. They insist that both the Medical Mission and TRANSCARGO provide the necessary traceability and documentation: how many packages were collected, who received them, who guarded the containers, under what seals they departed, and in what condition they arrived.
The mission's withdrawal, which as of late 2025 included about 13,000 Cuban professionals in Venezuela, has been characterized by independent media as a gradual evacuation, despite the regime's portrayal of it as a routine return. Cuban medical missions in Venezuela have long faced allegations of coercive labor conditions, passport retention, and minimal or withheld salaries, making this incident yet another testament to the systematic neglect by the regime toward those sent abroad.
Insights into Cuban Medical Mission Controversy
What triggered the recent allegations by Cuban collaborators?
Cuban collaborators reported theft of personal belongings during their transport from Venezuela to Cuba, managed by entities associated with the mission and TRANSCARGO.
What evidence supports the claims of stolen belongings?
Photos showing the interior of containers filled with bundles wrapped in black plastic, along with shipping labels, were presented as evidence by affected individuals.
What do the collaborators demand in response to the alleged theft?
The collaborators demand a full audit of the custody chain and documentation from the Medical Mission and TRANSCARGO to trace how the belongings were handled.