Police Arrests Gang Trading Cat Meat

Vietnamese law enforcement authorities arrested twelve individuals involved in setting traps for wild cats and stealing domestic pets to sell their meat to local restaurants. Security investigations indicated that the number of animals that fell victim to these criminal operations reached approximately two thousand seven hundred cats. During a security raid related to the case, forces confiscated fifty live cats along with trapping equipment and a number of motorcycles, based on reports by local newspapers. Field reports explained that the suspects' network recruited elements in various residential areas of Ho Chi Minh City to carry out hunting operations, noting that the laws in force in Vietnam classify the theft of pet cats as property theft crimes. In the same context, the law allows the consumption of cat meat, which is offered by specific restaurants, provided that owners present official documents proving the source of that meat. It is noteworthy that the police in Ho Chi Minh City had arrested about eighteen individuals earlier this year on similar charges related to stealing cats for food purposes.