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FROM
CUBA
Operation
Popular Shield in Cuba: sewing machines confiscated
HAVANA, August 8 (www.cubanet.org) - Under the
umbrella of Operation Popular Shield, last week
State Security officials searched the homes of
seven seamstresses in Güines, a small city
south of Havana, and confiscated their sewing
machines.
Officials also dismantled several clandestine
operations producing soft drinks, ham, and ice
cream. Typically, these products are sold in the
underground economy directly to consumers.
"More than 20 home searches in one week
have accomplished the objective of terrorizing
the population; nobody trusts anybody anymore,"
said Güines resident Martha Poso. "Street
vendors have disappeared and people are hungrier."
Operation Popular Shield, designed to stamp out
"illegality," meaning cottage industries
operated mostly at the family level, has sent
hundreds of people to jail.
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