TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man was arrested for the illegal sale of 40 pounds of slaughtered horse meat, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.
On Dec. 11, detectives were tipped off about a horse that was killed for the harvest and sale of the meat.
An arrest affidavit said an operation was launched on Dec. 13 to purchase the 40 pounds of horse meat for $500 from the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Alain Arencibia-Diaz of Miami.
Around 3:50 p.m. that afternoon, Arencibia-Diaz arrived at an agreed-upon location, a Home Depot parking lot on Okeechobee Road.
The suspect handed the informant a black plastic bag containing the suspected horse meat, according to the affidavit.
Arencibia-Diaz was arrested without incident, charged, and taken to the local correctional center.
The arrest affidavit said the suspect horse meat was taken to an investigator with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for testing and identification.
The investigation is ongoing.