A resident of Havana, known as Alexis Torriente, took to Facebook on Saturday to voice a detailed complaint aimed at Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas and Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila. Torriente's post highlighted years of arbitrary actions, mistreatment, and abuse of authority by police officers at the El Rincón checkpoint in the Boyeros municipality of Havana.
The latest incident he recounted occurred on November 3rd. Torriente was stopped by an officer in blue who asked for the registration of his trailer. He explained that the registration process couldn't be completed because the official digital platform was frequently down, and in-person registration is not permitted under Ministry of Transportation's Resolution 47/2026. The officer admitted he rarely saw a trailer in such good condition.
Nevertheless, the officer went inside with the documents and started writing up a ticket. "You choose, either a 6-point fine or I transfer you to the Santiago de las Vegas unit," the officer allegedly told Torriente. When Torriente inquired about the reason, the officer responded, "For a lighting defect, to help you."
Facing no other choice, Torriente accepted the fine to continue his journey, which had taken him nearly a month to prepare. "I explained that this trip was out of necessity, that I understand there are regulations and laws to adhere to, but I was compelled to take care of my own needs, and he didn't understand," Torriente wrote.
This was not an isolated incident. On previous occasions at the same checkpoint, he was penalized with 6 points for transporting an improvised trailer—not even his own—to move a boat. In another instance, he was taken to the police station for carrying a gas cylinder without a distribution point receipt.
Torriente also reported being fined for alleged speeding by a motorcyclist, pointing out that the speed gun's recorded time was 12 minutes off from the actual time of his stop. Despite filing complaints with Population Attention, Citizen Services, and 5 Palmas, the sanction was never revoked.
"It seems the directive is to harass all drivers," Torriente wrote.
He added, "To those responsible, it's essential to further educate these police officers, if they can even be called that. They should be better trained before interacting with the public, because they've left their ethics behind. You earn the people's disdain with your disrespect, and we're fed up with such incompetence," he concluded.
During the first quarter of 2025, over 425,000 fines were issued in Cuba, amounting to more than 1 billion pesos, with 269 cases referred to the PNR for nonpayment.
Reports of police misconduct during traffic operations are not uncommon. In September, a woman publicly confronted inspectors, accusing them of soliciting money from pedicab drivers before fining them. In July, a citizen reported being assaulted by six officers in Guanabo.
Understanding Police Conduct Issues in Cuba
What prompted Alexis Torriente to speak out?
Alexis Torriente was motivated to speak out due to repeated experiences of arbitrary actions, mistreatment, and abuse of power by police officers at the El Rincón checkpoint.
What issue did Torriente face on November 3rd?
On November 3rd, Torriente was stopped by an officer who asked for the registration of his trailer, which he couldn't provide due to the official digital platform's frequent outages.
How common are reports of police misconduct in Cuba?
Reports of police misconduct in Cuba are frequent, with incidents involving arbitrary fines and mistreatment during traffic operations being regularly reported.