A third person has been arrested and a fourth remains at large in connection with an illegal slaughterhouse operation that was shut down last week in Miami-Dade.
Police say 67-year-old Ruben M. Rodriguez, of Cutler Bay, turned himself in on animal cruelty charges on March 14th.
The fourth suspect, 37-year-old Henry Parra Oporta remains at large.
The investigation into the roughly 200 acre Coco Farms was conducted by Miami-Dade Police, the volunteer-led Animal Recovery Mission and the State Attorney's Office. The investigation found at least 3,000 animals kept in unsanitary conditions, and being starved, deprived of water and slaughtered using cruel and inhumane methods.
"These animals were starved to death," said Richard Couto of Animal Recovery Mission. "They're drinking polluted water. The animals that were fed were being fed intestines of newly slaughtered animals."
Police arrested and charged 69-year-old Gregorio Santa Ana and 35-year-old Jose Armando Solis, both of Miami, on a long list of counts of animal cruelty.
Santa Ana claimed in court that he has been dealing with animals for at least 40 years.
