Authorities dismantled a large-scale ring that was "transforming" pork into ostrich, porcupine, and deer meat.
Ho Chi Minh City police have dismantled a ring that was "transforming" pork into ostrich meat, Australian goat meat, sliced hedgehog meat, venison, etc., to sell on the market during Tet (Lunar New Year). Over the past year, they had smuggled 50 tons of fake meat onto the market.
On January 16th, the Economic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police announced the arrest of eight individuals involved in the aforementioned network and is continuing to expand the investigation to clarify the roles of other related individuals.
After a long period of investigation and surveillance, task forces from the Economic Police Department recently launched simultaneous raids and searches at numerous locations in Ho Chi Minh City, including: a facility in Ba Diem commune owned by Nguyen Van Phong; Khanh Ngoc SG Production and Trading Company Limited (Binh Tri Dong ward) managed by Tran Thi Van Phuoc; and Dai Loc Phat Food Company Limited (Xuan Thoi Son commune) managed by Nguyen Phi Long.
Authorities also searched cold storage facilities and restaurants – the main distribution points of this drug ring – in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces such as Lam Dong, Dong Nai, and Dak Lak.
The special investigation team has arrested eight individuals involved.
According to initial investigations, from the end of 2024 to the present, the suspects have produced and released more than 50 tons of counterfeit goods onto the market. Their modus operandi involved processing and marinating pork through various stages, "transforming" it into various specialty dishes such as ostrich meat, Australian goat meat, sliced porcupine meat, venison, etc.
Authorities estimate that the value of these counterfeit goods is equivalent to approximately 10 billion VND of genuine goods, enabling the perpetrators to illegally profit billions of VND.
The investigation team concluded that this was an exceptionally dangerous case, not only causing public outrage and damaging the business environment, but also posing a serious risk to health.consumers.
The Economic Police Department is continuing to investigate and clarify the identities of those supplying raw materials and the distribution channels in order to strictly handle them according to the law.
| Ho Chi Minh City Police Department advises: Consumers need to pay close attention to quality, only buying and using food with clear origins and sources from reputable establishments. Businesses need to proactively register trademarks, apply digital technology to identify and encode product information, and commit to not trading in counterfeit or substandard goods. |
