The U.S. State Department has openly acknowledged its inability to ensure that fuel legally exported to Cuba's private sector remains out of the regime's hands. This admission was highlighted by journalist David Adams in The New York Times following the announced fuel seizures on October 7.
A State Department spokesperson stated, "We cannot rule out the possibility of some diversion to entities linked to the regime. Nevertheless, we will continue to crack down on their efforts to evade sanctions by targeting any company knowingly supplying the regime."
These remarks came shortly after federal authorities in Florida and Texas seized over 620,000 gallons of biodiesel, valued at nearly $2.8 million, which were intended for ENETEC S.A., a Cuban state-owned company sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control in July.
Of the 90 shipments intercepted, 71—amounting to around 496,000 gallons—were held at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, and another 19—totaling about 119,000 gallons—were seized at the Port of Houston.
José R. Figueroa, the special agent leading Homeland Security Investigations in Miami, described the shipments as "a deliberate and coordinated effort to supply" the sanctioned company. However, he declined to name the exporters and did not announce any criminal charges, leaving the investigation ongoing.
Despite acknowledging the risk of fuel diversion, the State Department defended its policy, claiming that Washington has "broken the Cuban regime's monopoly on fuel" and that the Trump administration fostered "the largest privatization in the history of the Cuban economy," according to The New York Times.
However, investigative reports from ADN Cuba revealed that Cimex—a corporation under the military conglomerate GAESA, also sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control—purchases fuel from at least 16 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes) and resells it through its network of service stations, additionally supplying the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
A receipt dated September 21 from Cimex-Mariel to a Oro Negro service station for over 23,000 liters of gasoline was one of the documents proving this connection.
The diversion even reached the regime's repressive apparatus: a 14ymedio investigation found that a gas station near Villa Marista—the headquarters of State Security—was supplying "black beret" brigades of the Ministry of the Interior, State Security's Suzuki motorcycles, and vehicles of the state-owned company Sepsa in September.
The relative abundance of fuel on the island was reflected in prices. In September, Cuban economist Omar Everleny Pérez noted that the price per liter of fuel had dropped from five dollars to 2.50 dollars, a stark contrast to the scarcity faced by the general population.
From January to August 2026, U.S. petroleum derivative imports to Cuba amounted to 231.74 million dollars, an unprecedented figure in the commercial history between the two nations.
Michael Bustamante, a Cuba expert at the University of Miami, warned that this massive flow of private imports undermines Washington's pressure on the regime. "Creativity and ingenuity are the currency of the Cuban realm," he remarked, highlighting the regime's ability to circumvent restrictions.
Investigations into the parties responsible for the illegal shipments remain ongoing, and maritime interdiction operations are still active. The Coast Guard intercepted a vessel over the summer carrying around 220,000 gallons of diesel bound for Cuba, and in early October, another ship was detained with fuel hidden in ballast tanks.
Key Insights into U.S. Fuel Export Concerns with Cuba
What did the U.S. State Department admit about fuel exports to Cuba?
The U.S. State Department admitted it cannot guarantee that fuel legally exported to Cuba's private sector will not end up in the hands of the Cuban regime.
How much biodiesel was seized by U.S. authorities, and where?
Over 620,000 gallons of biodiesel, valued at nearly $2.8 million, were seized in both Florida and Texas.
What impact has the U.S. policy had on the Cuban fuel market?
Despite the U.S. policy aiming to weaken the Cuban regime's control over fuel, reports indicate that state-linked corporations like Cimex continue to acquire and redistribute fuel.