U.S. Sanctions Force Closure of Key Platform for Sending Aid to Cuba

A prominent online platform, envioscuba.com, which facilitates sending aid to Cuba from the U.S., is shutting down amid intensified U.S. sanctions against the Cuban government.

The Trump administration is increasing pressure on Cuba by targeting its state-owned oil and gas companies, and GAESA, a business conglomerate operated by Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces. GAESA owns a diverse range of enterprises, including car rentals, retail stores, and transport firms.

Cubans are facing severe shortages of food and medicine, along with frequent blackouts, exacerbating their struggle during the stifling heat. Many depend on assistance from family and friends in the U.S., who send money, food, clothing, and appliances from Miami, or purchase items online for delivery to Cuba.

Envioscuba.com has announced that it stopped taking new orders. Previously approved orders will still be processed.

The platform cited uncontrollable circumstances for halting its services but did not provide further details. Attempts to reach the company were unsuccessful. Envioscuba.com lacks contact information on its website.

According to Emilio Morales from Havana Consulting Group, envioscuba.com and similar platforms worked directly with Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. They do not physically ship products from the U.S. to Cuba but utilize GAESA’s warehouse stocks for sales and deliveries.

Morales expects more portals to terminate their operations to evade sanctions linked to business dealings with the Cuban government. These sanctions risk freezing U.S. assets of foreign companies and barring their employees and investors from travel, effectively ending their activities within the U.S. financial framework.

Spanish hotel chain Meliá also announced a halt in operations at 15 of its 34 Cuban hotels, mirroring a trend where long-standing international businesses are severing or limiting their Cuban engagements.