Matanzas imposes sentences of up to 15 years for theft of electrical oil
Three men were convicted of sabotage after transformer oil was stolen, affecting electricity service and agricultural work.
Matanzas's provincial criminal court sentenced three men to prison terms of 15, 14 and eight years for stealing dielectric oil from transformers and electrical substations. The judicial decision classified the acts as sabotage. The thefts affected electricity service in communities in Matanzas and also harmed agricultural work. One of the convicted men was 18 years old. The court imposed the sentences after hearing several incidents involving removal of the product.
The harshest sentence went to Brayan Navarro Marrero, who received 15 years for two continuing sabotage offenses. Marvin Spek Pérez was sentenced to 14 years for continuing sabotage, and Yaciel Valle Pérez received eight years for simple sabotage. Navarro received the longest term; Spek's was one year shorter, while Valle's was the lowest. The differences correspond to the criminal classifications the court assigned to the conduct at issue.
The stolen oil was held in transformers and electrical substations, facilities affected by the thefts. Damage to transformers left communities without power for weeks. Agricultural work was also harmed. The case therefore had consequences for community electricity supply and farming activities, in addition to the prison sentences imposed on the three men. Service interruption was among the effects associated with the thefts tried in the province.
The proceeding covered several incidents, not a single theft. One occurred on October 4, 2024, on the AG-26 highway, according to the description of the case. That date corresponds to the first episode recounted in the proceeding. The three men were convicted after judicial review of the removal of dielectric oil from electrical facilities in Matanzas.
The sentences distinguish between continuing and simple sabotage: Navarro Marrero and Spek Pérez were convicted under the first classification, while Valle Pérez was sentenced for the second. The court set the highest term at 15 years and the lowest at eight. The ruling connected the theft of transformer oil with damage to electricity service and agricultural activity, along with the criminal responsibility attributed to each convicted man.