Horse meat found in West Palm Beach home: PBSO

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Lazaro Rodriguez, 39, is sitting behind bars tonight for allegedly having horse meat in his fridge. The discovery was made after deputies conducted a search warrant on his home, located just outside Loxahatchee in West Palm Beach, for reasons entirely unrelated.

Refrigerators, freezers, and even sinks in the kitchen and laundry room contained a variety of meats, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) reported. Investigators noted it appeared as though all of them were purchased from the same unnamed butcher.

Just being in possession of horse meat is a felony in and of itself. But this plays into a much larger underground operation happening locally where horses are stolen, slaughtered, and sold on the black market.