| FROM
CUBA
Shortage of cigarettes in Santiago de Cuba HAVANA,
Cuba, March 8 (José Antonio Fornaris, Cuba Verdad / www.cubanet.org) -
Police and government inspectors raided a house in Managua, on the outskirts of
Havana, and confiscated all home-made merchandise belonging to a street vendor
who tries to make a living in the underground economy. "Eight policemen
came in a bus, four of them came into the house and told me to put everything
in boxes, because all the merchandise would be confiscated and I was under arrest",
said Vladimir Iglesias, a young man who works for himself in contravention of
government policy. Iglesias said he had been taken to the El Capri police
station in the same bus the police had come. Once there, he was issued a writ
of warning for his "illegal" activities and fined 500 pesos. He said
he was also given an inventory of the confiscated merchandise, but he added that
the list was not complete. "I asked for the names of those that had
gone into the house to accuse them of illegal entry, but they said they didn't
know who they were", said Iglesias. Many here try to make a living
buying and selling on the streets, but this activity is considered illegal by
the government. Iglesias said: "The salaries the government pays are
not enough to live on". Versión
original en español | 
