Timoteo Yonar, 52 years old, is a gaucho by birth and has always worked in Campo Quijano and Rosario de Lerma with cattle that are raised in the hills of the area. He has his animals in the Tajamar area, about 15 kilometers from the town, in the middle of the Corralito ravines. There, in addition, he plants potatoes and corn. Like many locals in the rural area of Salta, he lives on a subsistence economy, raising and consuming meat from his animals. On Friday he could not bring the 200 kilos of beef to his house on horseback to distribute them among his family and freeze them for the winter, so he decided to transport them by vehicle.
That day he was arrested accused of being part of a gang of rustlers in Campo Quijano, with meat transported in a truck, according to the Rural Police operation. Timoteo Yonar was accused of illegal slaughter and non-compliance with article 206 of the Penal Code, which refers to crimes against public health. However, the reality is that there was no such gang of rustlers or illegal work. Timothy only transported meat from one of his bulls for his family. They forced him to watch, with a man’s hand on the back of his head, as they incinerated his flesh. And then they took it to the Flora and Fauna station, where they finished distributing what was left of the meat to the animals at the environmental protection station.
“They treated me like a criminal, they told me I was a rustler, but I’m not. They took me into custody and forced me to watch my meat being burned and then they gave the rest to the animals at the flora and fauna station. I felt humiliated, I never had problems with the police, I was never arrested. Everyone knows that I worked honestly. The rural police took advantage of me. Now, who will give me back what I lost?
The man from the El Tajamar area, with a way of life inherited from his parents, works to support his family. “They ask me to slaughter meat in an authorized slaughterhouse, but the closest slaughterhouse is in La Florida, in Rosario de Lerma, about 20 km away, and the animal is not going to walk there. I live 8 hours away on donkey back from the closest road to Corralito,” he said.
“All my life I have raised animals and now they don’t allow me to eat them. Many of us are skilled at moving (livestock) that we slaughter to the farm. My animals have papers and vaccines. I don’t have anything illegal,” he said.
Pain from being treated like a rustler
“What hurts me the most is that they made me look like a rustler. We are hundreds of locals who have animals in the hills. So, what are we going to live on?” asked the victim Timoteo Yonar. Many neighbors have expressed their solidarity with Timoteo. In Campo Quijano these types of situations are frequent. For years, goat meat has been sold on Sundays in that town’s square without anyone being penalized. Modern standards often clash with the rural life that is still preserved in the interior.
He was humiliated and lost $1 million
The violation was for improper transportation of meat; The rest was unnecessary, according to the victim. Timoteo Yonar was arrested at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at the Río Blanco post and remained in custody until 6 a.m. the next day.
The accusation of illegal slaughter and non-compliance with article 206 of the Penal Code, which refers to crimes against public health, resulted in the confiscation of the meat.
Rural Police officers carried out the operation.
“They were deaf ears. At the Rural Police on the ring road they made fun of me, took photos with the meat and laughed,” Yonar said.
According to the gaucho, the police “threw the meat for the dogs and foxes.” I imagine that it is the Government who should maintain these animals and not us, the poor, who barely survive raising animals. They didn’t burn it, they threw it to the dogs, foxes and they even have some lions locked up that they want to feed with that,” he said.
With the confiscation of the 200 kilos of beef, the gaucho from the Lerma Valley not only had to endure the humiliation by the uniformed men, he also lost a significant amount of money, the total of the confiscated meat is estimated at 1 million weights approximately.
After the outrageous moment that Yonar endured in front of the members of the Rural Division of the Salta Police, he decided to expose what happened and file a complaint. Many neighbors expressed their solidarity with the gaucho from Portal de los Andes and joined in the indignation he had to go through and the loss.
