Federal prosecutors accuse company workers of illegally dumping untreated waste.
A meat processing company in Puerto Rico and four employees are facing federal charges over allegations that wastewater from the facility was pumped into a creek that flows to the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said the defendants allegedly worked together for years to discharge animal waste without the required federal permit. The company, Ganaderos Borges Inc., operates a slaughterhouse and meat processing plant in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. The facility handles live animals, slaughtering, butchering, cleaning and the preparation of meat for consumers. According to a federal indictment, the company produced large amounts of wastewater containing animal blood, tissue, hair, feces, grease, cleaning products and other liquids.
Federal prosecutors allege that company president César P. Borges-Arroyo and operator Neftalí Borges-Gómez directed employees Erison Delgado-Santos and Héctor Fulgencio-Cabrera to help release the waste from a retention lagoon. The alleged activity began in August 2018 and continued through at least September 2025. The DOJ stated workers used a submersible pump placed inside the waste lagoon. A hose connected to the pump was used to move liquid waste toward a nearby creek, which travels about half a mile before reaching the Caribbean Sea near Tropical Beach in Naguabo.
Investigators allege the company took this step to avoid the cost of having the wastewater removed and transported to an approved disposal site. Prosecutors said the company could have faced millions of dollars in yearly waste removal costs if it followed the required disposal process. The plant had previously received a wastewater permit that required its liquid waste to be transported away from the property. The permit did not allow wastewater to be released into a creek, ocean or other body of water. That permit expired in July 2019, but according to records, wastewater continued to be discharged from the facility for several more years.
The charges include alleged violations of the Clean Water Act as well as a charge of conspiring to violate the law. The government also claims the defendants took steps to hide the alleged activity. According to the indictment, the pump and hose were concealed when they were not being used, and false or misleading information and documents were provided to authorities in an effort to keep the discharges from being discovered. Tropical Beach is located near nature preserves and a military installation and the alleged pollution could have affected nearby waterways, wildlife and people who use the coastal area.
The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from the FBI. Both agencies are part of the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Environmental Crimes Task Force, which investigates suspected environmental crimes in the region. If convicted, the individual defendants could face up to five years in prison and fines of as much as $250,000 for each charge. Ganaderos Borges Inc. could face fines of up to $500,000 for each charge. The defendants are expected to appear before Magistrate Judge Héctor Ramos Vega in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for their initial court appearances. Authorities are asking people who have information about possible violations of environmental laws to report them to the EPA.
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Puerto Rico Meat Plant and Employees Indicted for Illegal Water Discharges
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