Rare Theft: 133 Tons Of Chicken Stolen From Cuban State Run Facility

Amid Cuba facing economic crisis and food scarcity, a rare heist occurred in the country’s capital city. The incident which led to the arrest of 30 people involved a chicken theft from the state facility stated for public distribution. The thieves committed the crime allegedly to buy items such as laptops, TVs, air conditioners and refrigerators.

The suspects stole 133 tons of chicken meat in 1,660 white boxes from the government facility. The 30 people, arrested for stealing the meat included shift bosses and IT workers at the facility. The plant’s security guards and people from outside the company was also included in the suspects.

According to the authorities, the theft happened around midnight 2 AM, as they could sense temperature fluctuations in the cold storage and the surveillance footage of the trucks moving from the facility.

According to the director of government food distributor Rigoberto Mustelier, the stolen amount, as per the current rate, was equal to a full month”s ration of chicken for an entire province

The chicken was stored at the state facility for public distribution. For the past 60 years, the system of distributing chicken to the citizens through Cuba’s communist government ration book has been going on. The system, which provides subsidized food for the citizens, was started after the revolution by Fidel Castro. It continues as an important part of Cuba’s daily life.

However, due to the economic crisis which was intensified after the Covid 19 outbreak, the distribution of the chicken had been affected, with reduced quality being provided. The distributions were often delayed forcing people to earn extra income to cover their expenses.

As per the law, the suspect upon proven guilty would be sentenced to up to 20 years of imprisonment.