Havana's 100 y Boyeros market, a key commercial hub, woke up Friday to a tense atmosphere from a police operation that halted informal trade. Authorities seized goods of dubious origin and arrested ten people for illegal commercialization. Vendors and buyers describe heavy surveillance and empty stalls amid ongoing shortages.
Havana's 100 y Boyeros market, essential for daily supplies, faced a police raid this week that turned its usual bustle into an oppressive quiet. Stalls once stocked with shoes to antibiotics now stand empty, as vendors pull back amid patrols by police, plainclothes agents, and uniformed soldiers through the narrow aisles.
A vendor with over five years there said: “Police and inspectors are everywhere. Today 100 y Boyeros is poorly attended”. The official newspaper Tribuna de La Habana reported the operation led to ten arrests for illegal commercialization acts, five fines from 16,000 to 32,000 pesos for illicit sales, and oversight of begging minors and adults in the area. Confiscated items included medicines, hospital supplies like syringes and blood pressure monitors, hardware, electric motorcycle parts, and imported clothing.
Tension is evident: a customer seeking a toilet hose noted: “I've never seen this market so quiet”. Another vendor blamed the timing: “That's because it's December, and they need something to eat... at the expense of those of us who really work”. Despite the siege, some traders persist under the bridge with eggs and basics. An optimistic young man affirmed: “This will fill up again. It always does. They come, make noise, leave, and life goes on”.
This informal market has been crucial for decades, providing lower prices and variety amid state system failures, including currency exchanges and clandestine medicine trades. While crackdowns are common, especially in December with rising consumption, the site's resilience indicates trade may resume soon, underscoring Havana's reliance on such informal economies.