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Cuba Siglo 21 says GAESA uses small private firms to tap US fuel imports

A dossier by the think tank, signed by Emilio Morales, says the military retains the petrol stations, the payment systems and the accounts the business runs through, according to Diario de Cuba. Yamacoa has not been able to verify the report's data independently.

GAESA uses small and medium-sized private firms and intermediaries to take part in imports of US fuel and keep control of its sale in Cuba, says a dossier by the think tank Cuba Siglo 21 signed by Emilio Morales, the organisation's vice-president and president of Havana Consulting Group, according to Diario de Cuba. The analysis argues that the opening to the private sector, designed to supply independent businesses, thereby leaves a route in for the military conglomerate.

The report places the heart of the business in control of the dollars, not just in the imports: the private firms must lease the petrol stations from Inmobiliaria CIMEX, customers pay with cards issued by FINCIMEX and the revenue ends up at the Banco Financiero Internacional. All three entities are linked to GAESA, so, Morales argues, the military keeps the facilities, the logistics, the payment systems and the accounts even when formally private companies appear as the importers.

Access would not be open either: of close to 390 private firms initially invited, some 42 obtained authorisation in the first phases, according to the data in the dossier. An investigation cited by Morales identified 21 fuel suppliers to CIMEX, among them at least 16 Cuban private firms.

On top of the restrictions comes the capital needed to get in: the study calculates that starting with ten isotanks requires between 500,000 and 1.4 million dollars, depending on the fuel and the commercial terms, with cash payment and none of the usual financing arrangements.

US exports of fuel and derivatives to the island reached some 232 million dollars between January and August 2026, according to the figures reproduced by Cuba Siglo 21 and published by Diario de Cuba. For Morales, that volume is hard to explain without large-scale financial and logistical structures behind the operations.

The report also argues that the new route exposes GAESA, because Washington gains the ability to track cargoes, identify intermediaries and sanction diversions to barred entities. It cites the interception, announced by US authorities, of 90 shipments bound for ENETEC: some 600,000 gallons valued at 2.8 million dollars.

Cubanet, which also covers the investigation, sums it up as US measures aimed at limiting the revenue of the military conglomerate, which would still be benefiting from fuel imports made through private firms.

Sources: Diario de Cuba · Cubanet

Data updated: 2026-11-03T16:15:00.000Z

Cuba Siglo 21 says GAESA uses small private firms to tap US fuel imports | Yamacoa Observatory