Security services in Fez have arrested a middle-aged man for allegedly slaughtering donkeys and mules and selling their meat.
According to his neighbors, the suspect used to work as a butcher and sold Lakhli’a — a traditional Moroccan food made of dried meat cooked in fat, usually served with fried eggs.
Authorities suspect the man of making Lakhli’a with the meat of the donkeys and mules he allegedly slaughtered.
Many of the man’s neighbors told local media that they have been suspicious of his activity for several years.
According to the neighbors’ testimonies, the suspect used to bring donkeys and mules to his house at night, while everyone was asleep. The neighbors heard heavy thumps almost every night.
When some of the neighbors complained to the man, he told them that he trades donkeys and mules for a living and he has nowhere else to keep them.
The suspicious activity lasted between three and five years, without any of the neighbors filing complaints to local authorities.
When neighbors finally informed the police, they found out that the suspect allegedly used to slaughter the donkeys and mules then sell their meat.
One of the neighbors told the press that he saw the suspect transport heavy bags using a truck on several occasions. He suspects that the bags contained meat from the slaughtered animals.
Security services found one living mule in the suspect’s house and several bags containing bones and animal skin. They transferred the bags to a laboratory to analyze their content and determine whether the bones and skin belong to the allegedly-slaughtered donkeys and mules.
The suspect, meanwhile, will remain in custody pending the end of investigations.
