US-Cuba delivery service Envioscuba.com ceases operations amid sanctions

This development occurs as the Trump administration intensifies its sanctions against the Cuban government, aiming to cut off international support for businesses. The latest targets include Cuba's state-owned oil and gas company, President Miguel Diaz-Canel, and GAESA, a significant business conglomerate controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba. GAESA oversees a wide array of businesses, including car rentals, retail stores, and transportation companies.

According to Emilio Morales, president at Havana Consulting Group, platforms like Envioscuba.com often collaborate directly with GAESA, selling and delivering products stored in the conglomerate's warehouses on the island. Morales anticipates that other similar portals will also shut down to avoid potential sanctions for doing business with the Cuban government. The U.S. sanctions carry the threat of freezing assets of foreign companies and restricting their access to the U.S. financial system.

In a related development, the Spanish hotel chain Meliá recently announced it would cease operations at 15 of the 34 hotels it manages in Cuba, joining a growing number of companies scaling back or withdrawing their presence on the island.