Police forces seized more than 90 kilograms of beef during a home search in Los Reynaldos, a locality in the municipality of Songo la Maya, in Santiago de Cuba, where the product was allegedly being sold illegally.
According to a post on Saturday on the official page Héroes del Moncada, linked to the Ministry of the Interior (Minint), in addition to the meat, the agents seized 73 pounds of bones and eight pounds of entrails.
Cash in Cuban pesos and several instruments allegedly used for the sacrifice of animals were also seized, including knives, metal rods, and straps.
"As a result of the police action, more than 90 kg of meat, 73 pounds of bones, and 8 pounds of entrails were seized from the residents of the house, along with money and the instruments that were being used to commit the crime," the page emphasized.
The authorities did not specify how many people were detained nor provided their identities, so it remains unclear what legal measures the individuals involved might face.
Songo la Maya has a history of operations against the illegal sacrifice and trade of livestock. In June 2025, two men were sentenced to prison for transporting 118 kilograms of meat in a state vehicle in that area. One received four years and six months in prison, while the other was sentenced to six years.
In December of that same year, two more individuals were arrested while slaughtering two cattle in a house in the Flores neighborhood, in the municipality of Santiago de Cuba. Last February, the Police seized over 90 pounds of beef during a raid in San Luis.
The phenomenon is also repeated in other provinces. In July, five men were arrested in Cárdenas, Matanzas, while they were slaughtering three cattle. In that operation, the authorities seized 202.5 kilograms of beef.
The scale of criminal prosecution was reflected in figures from the People's Supreme Court, which reported that by the end of August, 1,615 individuals had been tried for offenses related to the illegal slaughter of livestock. 90% of the cases resulted in prison sentences.
The Cuban Penal Code, established in Law 151/2022, stipulates penalties of four to ten years in prison for the slaughter of someone else's livestock and three to eight years for trafficking in illegally sourced meat, according to the People's Supreme Court.
The cattle herd lost more than 900,000 animals between 2019 and 2025, while milk production fell by 58% between 2018 and 2023. Beef has become practically inaccessible for a significant portion of the population in formal marketing circuits.
In September, the Government published Resolution 162/2026 from the Ministry of Agriculture, which partially relaxed the rules for the slaughter and sale of livestock by registered producers. However, the regulations do not eliminate penalties for slaughtering animals without authorization or for selling meat from illegal sources.
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