A Commerce Department exception allows limited U.S. fuel sales to private Cuban businesses, creating a black market at $38 per gallon.
A U.S. Commerce Department exception permitting fuel exports to private Cuban businesses has triggered a black market for gasoline and diesel, priced at $38 per gallon. The move follows the abrupt halt of oil shipments from Venezuela and Mexico, tightening Cuba’s energy supply under long-standing U.S. sanctions.
Cuba’s state-controlled energy sector, nationalized in 1959, has faced severe shortages, crippling public services like healthcare and transport. The new fuel flows, though minimal, mark the first significant U.S. fuel deliveries to the island in decades, bypassing state-run systems.
Fuel is resold unofficially, helping private taxis, restaurants, and households mitigate shortages. No major U.S. oil traders appear involved, and the trade remains fragmented and chaotic.