A man identified as Osmidy Vera Ortega was detained in the municipality of Calimete, in the province of Matanzas, accused of illegal slaughter of livestock, according to a report by the official Facebook profile Con Todos La Victoria.
The source specified that authorities intercepted Vera Ortega while she was traveling in an animal-drawn vehicle.
At the time of the arrest, the man was carrying "a bag that contained over 100 pounds of beef."
During the arrest, the agents also seized a machete and the clothing he was wearing, which "showed stains of blood", according to the same source.
The detainee was placed at the disposal of the corresponding judicial authorities, while investigations continue to determine if there are "possible links to illegal meat trafficking networks," according to the publication.
The officialist profile concluded its statement with its usual rallying cry: "In the face of crime, illegalities, and social indiscipline, ZERO TOLERANCE!"
What people say: between condemnation and distrust
The publication from the official profile sparked a polarized debate in the comments, where the most frequently asked question was not whether the accused was guilty, but rather what will happen to the seized meat.
"For the policeman's house, where else?" wrote a user.
Another was more straightforward: "In the end, they seize it and the police eat it; let them keep stealing, it's the only way to get it."
Several comments pointed to the food crisis as a root cause: "Hunger does not justify the crime, but it explains a lot" and "The law is very harsh on those who kill a cow, but very lenient with those who have the country suffering from hunger."
There were also voices calling for punishment without leniency: “Twenty-five years behind bars, working and producing food for the people. Let him pay for what he did.”
But even among those calling for a firm hand, the same suspicion arose: "If it were a leader, nothing would happen" and "They should also investigate where all the confiscated meat is going."
“The true crime is that Cubans cannot buy meat freely,” summarized another comment, shifting the discussion from the police incident to a critique of the system that allows such events to happen.
A recurring pattern in Matanzas
The case of Calimete is not an isolated incident.
The province of Matanzas has accumulated a series of similar operations throughout 2026.
On July 24, just days before this arrest, five men were detained in Cárdenas while they were slaughtering three cattle in the La Marina Popular Council, with a seizure of 202.5 kilograms of meat.
In May, another Cuban was captured in Pedro Betancourt with 33 pounds of meat and 35 liters of oil linked to a prior theft.
In April, a man was arrested in Perico accused of illegally stealing and sacrificing a calf.
And in January, two individuals were detained in Matanzas with pounds of meat, bones, and entrails.
The underlying figures are revealing: in 2024, the province recorded losses of 12,459 head of livestock due to theft and illegal slaughter, about 1,500 more than the previous year, according to data from Radio 26.
The sorrows and the reality that does not relent
The Cuban Penal Code in effect since 2022 (Law 151/2022) establishes penalties of 4 to 10 years for illegal slaughter of someone else's cattle, and from three to eight years for trafficking that meat.
With aggravating factors, sentences can reach 15 or 20 years.
Despite that severity, the phenomenon does not recede.
In 2024, a total of 1,615 individuals were sentenced for these offenses nationwide, 78% receiving sentences of up to 15 years.
The structural context partially explains the persistence of the problem: Cuba has lost more than 900,000 heads of cattle since 2019, and pork production collapsed by 93.2% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
The black market has become the only means of access to protein for many families.
Related videos:
Filed under: