Cuban dictatorship shuts down ‘private business,’ confiscates all the merchandise and arrests its owner
Translated excerpt:
he Cuban regime is reported to have arbitrarily closed Diplomarket, known as the “Cuban Costco,” and detained its owner, Cuban-American businessman Frank Cuspinera.
The independent news outlet La Tijera published a report stating that Cuspinera has been held incommunicado since June 20, 2024, when military forces intervened in his business.
Sources confirmed to CiberCuba that the business was taken over without prior notice, under accusations of tax evasion, currency trafficking, and money laundering.
Cuspinera, who also runs TCC Las Américas Importadora Exportadora in the United States, had successfully established himself in Cuba since 2013, offering products through his Diplomarket platform.
However, his economic success appears to have made him a target for the Castro regime, the report suggests.
Authorities waited until the end of the business day on June 20 to raid his company and confiscate all his assets, despite having previously authorized the sale, the post explains. Military personnel and members of the GAESA military conglomerate were used for the operation.
The situation worsened the day after the detention of Cuspinera and his wife, Camila, when authorities began distributing the confiscated assets among the members of the Castro regime’s elite, the publication details.
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This is yet another example of how as long as an economy is under socialist control, no one ever really owns anything. Socialism is an ideology based on forcibly taking what belongs to others so the elite can enrich themselves and consolidate their power. In Cuba and any other socialist country, the question is not if the State will take away what belongs to you, but when the State will take what belongs to you.
And the more you have that they can steal, the better the chances you’ll end up in a gulag. This is socialism in action.
“Shipping Prices Will Go Through The Roof
As Supply Chains Face Worst Threats Since 2020”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YuLo74HDxU
Excerpt:
“Supply chain disruptions. Congested ports. Delivery delays. Soaring shipping prices. All of this seemed like a distant memory from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s happening again, and conditions are far scarier this time around. The head of ocean freight of the Americas at Rhenus Logistics, Stephanie Loomis, who spends her days negotiating with international carriers on behalf of clients moving products and parts around the globe, revealed during an interview with the outlet that she’s seeing cargo prices skyrocket due to a series of disturbances at world’s busiest shipping routes.
Since the end of 2023, Houthi rebels have been firing on ships entering the Red Sea and heading to the Suez Canal, an essential artery for vessels travelling between Asia, Europe, and the East Coast of the United States. The offensive has escalated in recent months, forcing shipping companies to rethink their routes. They are now opting to take the longer routes around Africa, but that means their journeys are being extended by up to two days.
Additionally, a severe drought in Central America is reducing water levels in the Panama Canal, prompting authorities to restrict the number of ships passing through this key channel for global trade.
On top of all that strain, U.S. dockworkers on the East and Gulf coasts are threatening to go on a strike, while longshore workers at German ports have stopped shifts to demand better pay. Meanwhile, rail workers in Canada are poised to walk off their jobs, jeopardizing cargo movement across North America and risking backups at major ports like Vancouver, British Columbia.
The increasing turmoil in shipping is causing carriers to sharply raise rates, and it is increasing the possibility of a waterborne gridlock, which could once again leave big retail chains facing widespread shortages during the peak of the shopping season. This disruption could also worsen inflation, a major economic concern influencing the US presidential election.”