US deals a blow to Cuban regime by seizing $3 million worth of fuel

The U.S. government blocked the delivery of 90 shipments of biodiesel, valued at nearly $3 million, that were bound for Cuba.

The operation, reported exclusively by CBS News, represents an escalation in Washington's efforts to cut off the flow of resources to the communist regime and enforce the embargo on the island's energy sector.

The operation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Commerce.

The agencies discovered that the fuel exported from U.S. territory was destined for ENETEC S.A., a wholesaler based in Havana that was sanctioned in July by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Simultaneous operations in Florida and Texas

In early September, after analyzing commercial intelligence data, CBP officials detected shipments of biodiesel leaving Port Everglades in Florida and the Port of Houston in Texas.

Authorities seized 71 storage tanks at the Florida facility, which contained approximately 500,000 gallons of biodiesel. At the same time, they seized another 19 shipments totaling about 120,000 gallons at the Texas port.

According to HSI, the seizures were carried out for alleged violations of federal export laws, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Zero tolerance for sanctions evasion

Officials in charge of the operation reaffirmed the administration's strict stance on smuggling.

José Figueroa, special agent in charge of HSI in Miami, stated in a press release that they will work to "continue identifying, disrupting, and investigating efforts to evade U.S. sanctions, protect the integrity of export controls, and deny the Cuban government access to resources obtained in violation of U.S. law."

For his part, CBP Director of Field Operations Daniel Alonso stated: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection remains steadfast in enforcing U.S. laws across all domains, encompassing both inbound trade and outbound shipments."

Pressure on a network of hostile alliances

This seizure is in addition to recent efforts by the U.S. Coast Guard to curb maritime traffic to the island. Last week, the agency confirmed the interception of the cargo ship Grace between Cuba and Mexico, and earlier this summer it detained the vessel Jaira Provider carrying more than 200,000 gallons of fuel.

President Donald Trump's administration has intensified pressure to force profound political and economic changes in the Caribbean nation, which has been ruled by the Communist Party for more than half a century. Washington has directly accused the regime in Havana of collaborating with adversarial geopolitical actors such as Russia, China and Iran.

Currently, Cuba faces chronic power outages, water pumping failures and shortages of basic supplies — a crisis exacerbated by U.S. restrictions aimed at dismantling the dictatorship's financial and energy support networks.