México state prosecutors shared this image of the alleged dog butchers on Twitter, asking the public to come forward if they have information relevant to the case.
Two México state men who allegedly slaughtered dogs and sold their meat to taco restaurants will face trial on animal abuse charges.
Jorge N. and Julio César N. were arrested last week at a house in Tultitlán where some 60 dogs were being held. According to neighbors, the men, both aged in their early 60s, made a living by killing dogs and selling their meat to taquerías.
Activists from the animal protection association Mundo Patitas said they followed one of the men to a taquería outside the Tacuba Metro station in Mexico City and saw him hand over a package that allegedly contained dog meat.
Mundo Patitas president Norma Huerta said the men stole dogs or rounded them up on the street. There is evidence that they slaughtered dogs, skinned them, carved them up and supplied the meat to taquerías, she told the newspaper El Universal.
Residents of the Mariano Escobedo neighborhood called police after foul smells emanating from the house became unbearable. There were bones of slaughtered dogs, including skulls, in the yard of the home as well as skins stored in buckets, blood on the ground and a butcher’s block.
Neighbors filmed videos of the grisly and malodorous evidence, El Universal reported. The newspaper said the men – who had apparently been slaughtering dogs for years – were frequently seen wearing butcher’s aprons but told neighbors they repaired religious objects for a living.
A México state judge on Wednesday ordered them to face trial on animal abuse charges, but they were not remanded in custody because the crime of which they are accused is not classified as serious. They will have to report periodically to authorities before their trial begins in a month.
With reports from El Universal
