Cuba charges 30 people for stealing 133 tonnes of chicken

In a rare major theft amid food shortages in Cuba, 30 individuals have been charged with stealing 133 tonnes of chicken and selling it on the streets. The thieves made off with the meat, packaged in 1,660 white boxes, from a state facility in Havana. Cuban state TV reported late on Friday that the proceeds from the sale were used to purchase refrigerators, laptops, televisions, and air conditioners. The stolen chicken was originally designated for Cuba’s “ration book” system, which was established after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution to supply subsidized staples to all citizens. Rigoberto Mustelier, director of government food distributor COPMAR, said the quantity stolen was the equivalent of a month`s ration of chicken for a medium-sized province at current distribution rates. The amount of chicken available via the rationbook has fallen sharply in recent years as economic crisis has brought scarcities of food, fuel and medicines. Many subsidized products reach the populace days, weeks or even months later than scheduled, leaving people who make an average wage of 4,209 pesos a month ($14 at the informal exchange rate) to seek other ways to make ends meet. Authorities did not say when the chicken theft took place, but noted it likely occurred between midnight and 2 a.m., when they detected fluctuations in the temperature of the cold storage facility. Video surveillance captured trucks transporting the chicken off site. The 30 charged included shift bosses and IT workers at the plant, as well as security guards and outsiders not directly affiliated with the company, the TV report said. The suspects, if found guilty, could face as many as 20 years in prison. Crime has increased alongside economic hardship since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, though reports of large scale thefts like this one are still a rarity on the Caribbean island. With inputs from Reuters.