Ho Chi Minh City gang prosecuted for selling fake beef made from pork

The Economic Crime Police Department in Ho Chi Minh City seized a food‑fraud operation run by Nguyen Van Thai (born 1987) and Nguyen Van Thắng (born 1990). They bought pork thigh meat, soaked it in sodium metabisulfite to mask the pork odor, sliced it, and then further treated it with pig blood to masquerade as beef. The counterfeit beef was sold at the Cai and Tan Tru markets in District 8, while frozen beef was also immersed in the same prohibited chemical to extend freshness.

Investigators recorded daily sales of about 140 kg of the pork‑derived fake beef and 120 kg of chemically treated frozen beef. From 2024 to the time of the raid, the duo supplied more than 15 tonnes of counterfeit beef and over 50 tonnes of treated frozen beef, earning more than 9 billion Vietnamese đồng. Both men were arrested, detained, and charged with violating food‑safety regulations. The case is under continued investigation to identify any additional participants.