Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Drug Trafficking in Las Tunas

A court in Las Tunas has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for trafficking marijuana, cocaine, and synthetic cannabinoids in the Mexico neighborhood, as reported by the official newspaper 26 on Sunday.

The First Criminal Chamber of the Provincial People's Court held the trial for Case 115 of 2026, which the state media described as "a deterrent example."

Authorities uncovered the illegal activity through electronic surveillance, a specialized investigative technique that verified the defendant was systematically selling these substances in that part of the city.

Alongside the main sentence, the court imposed additional penalties, including the loss of public rights, confiscation of seized assets, and a ban on acquiring a passport or leaving the national territory during the sentence duration. These measures are stipulated under Law 151 of 2022, the Penal Code.

The state media asserted that the ruling was made during a public hearing, adhering to the procedural guarantees and due process established by the Constitution.

This case surfaces as Cuban authorities themselves acknowledge the growing drug consumption problem in the country.

Colonel Juan Carlos Poey Guerra, head of the Specialized Anti-Drug Enforcement Department of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), recently admitted that the issue now affects all provinces, with methamphetamine and synthetic cannabinoids being the most prevalent substances.

Las Tunas ranks among the most affected areas, having recorded an 81.4% increase in drug consumption cases between 2024 and 2025, with the highest incidence among those aged 14 to 25 and documented cases starting from as young as eight years old.

In June, the province launched Cuba's first Provincial Drug Observatory, where synthetic cannabinoids were identified as the most widespread substance in the region.

Toxicologist Alejandro Mestre Barroso warned that drug use had surged over 200% compared to the pre-pandemic period. In 2024, the National Toxicology Center reported 600 cases, over 90% of which involved synthetic drugs. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," the expert cautioned.

Cuban authorities have identified at least 40 variants of these substances circulating in the country, some laced with fentanyl, formaldehyde, benzodiazepines, and veterinary anesthetics, significantly increasing the risk of severe poisoning, seizures, and psychosis.

The Las Tunas sentence is part of a series of drug trafficking convictions issued this year. These include eight-year sentences in Holguín, sentences ranging from four to six years for four individuals in Cienfuegos, and 15-year sentences for two people in Artemisa for trafficking synthetic cannabinoids.