Seven individuals have been charged with using chemicals to transform pork into beef for profit.
On the afternoon of December 22, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency announced that it had initiated criminal proceedings against seven individuals involved in the production and sale of counterfeit food products.
Earlier, at 10:30 AM on November 15th, the Economic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police, in coordination with the Thoi An Ward Police, conducted an administrative inspection of a food processing facility at address No. 46, D2 Street, Block 37, Thoi An Ward.
At the time of inspection, authorities discovered the owner of the facility, Le Quang Quyet (born in 1992), along with 6 employees, were producing suspected counterfeit beef. They also found another employee transporting over 36 kg of suspected counterfeit beef to deliver to customers.
Expanding the investigation, on November 16th, the Economic Police Department, in coordination with the Hiep Binh Ward Police, inspected a location at 144/2 Street No. 6, Hiep Binh Ward, owned by Nguyen Duc Dat (born in 1992). There, the task force discovered 247 kg of suspected counterfeit beef along with various tools, equipment, and chemicals used to transform pork into fake beef.
Through investigation, the police determined that Le Quang Quyet's facility operated from February 2025 until its discovery without a business registration license, failing to fulfill tax obligations, and not having labor contracts. Quyet confessed that he was instructed by Nguyen Duc Dat on the process of producing pork disguised as beef, and that he was supplied with the raw materials, which included pork and industrial salt (Sodium Metabisulfite).
The production process, as confessed by the suspects, involved soaking pork in a mixture of pig blood and chemicals to create color, then packaging, freezing, and selling it on the market under the guise of beef. On average, the facility produced about 600 kg of fake beef daily, supplying approximately 75 restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City and some neighboring areas. The selling price ranged from 118,000 to 140,000 VND/kg, yielding an illegal profit of 15,000 to 40,000 VND/kg.
Based on the documents and evidence collected, on December 15th, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency issued a decision to initiate a criminal case for "Producing and trading counterfeit food products"; and simultaneously prosecuted 7 defendants: Le Quang Quyet, Nguyen Duc Dat, Nguyen Minh Tuan, Ngo Tuong Quoc, Le Thi Ha, Le Thi Thuy, and Le Dinh Loc, all charged with "Producing and trading counterfeit food products".
In this case, Le Quang Quyet was identified as the mastermind and ringleader; Nguyen Duc Dat played an active role in assisting by providing raw materials, instructing on production methods, and allowing the use of the location for making fake beef; the remaining individuals were directly involved in the production, consumption, and management of the buying and selling activities.
