Ho Chi Minh City police bust 10,000-tonne pork contamination ring

salbutamol food safety pig farming Ho Chi Minh City criminal ring

Ho Chi Minh City police have dismantled a major criminal ring responsible for distributing over 10,000 tonnes of pork contaminated with the banned substance salbutamol. The operation, which involved coordination with the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment, uncovered a scheme worth an estimated 600 billion VND.

Investigations revealed that suspects used salbutamol to fatten pigs, increasing their weight from approximately 100-110 kg to 130-140 kg within a 30-day period. To evade detection during inspections, the ring employed tactics such as ceasing the use of the substance 10 days before sale and administering liver detoxifying drugs and electrolytes to the animals.

Nine individuals have been prosecuted on charges including food safety violations, trading banned goods, and bribery. The investigation highlighted corruption within the system, as an animal quarantine officer from Dong Nai was identified as having accepted bribes to allow contaminated livestock to pass inspections. During searches of 14 locations in Dong Nai, authorities seized over 1 tonne of the banned substance and discovered 3,909 pigs, weighing more than 500 tonnes, that tested positive for salbutamol. Some of these animals also tested positive for African swine fever.

Entities

Bien Hoa Industrial Zone Police Station · Dong Nai · Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security · Ho Chi Minh City Police · Nguyen Van Hieu · Salbutamol · Tenma (HCM) Vietnam Co., Ltd. · Tây Ninh · Vo Quoc Son

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 7 SOURCES] Police have prosecuted nine individuals in a ring involving the use of banned substances in pig farming. thoibaonganhang.vn · news.tuoitre.vn · cafef.vn · vtv.vn · baochinhphu.vn
[● 5 SOURCES] The estimated value of the contaminated pork is over 600 billion VND. thoibaonganhang.vn · cafef.vn · vtv.vn
[● 4 SOURCES] Some pigs tested positive for both salbutamol and African swine fever. thoibaonganhang.vn · news.tuoitre.vn · cafef.vn · baochinhphu.vn
[● 7 SOURCES] More than 10,000 tonnes of pork contaminated with salbutamol were released into the market. thoibaonganhang.vn · news.tuoitre.vn · cafef.vn · vtv.vn · baochinhphu.vn
[● 2 SOURCES] Suspects used liver detoxifying drugs and electrolytes to hide the presence of banned substances during testing. thoibaonganhang.vn · vtv.vn
[● 2 SOURCES] An animal quarantine officer, Vo Quoc Son, was prosecuted for accepting bribes. thoibaonganhang.vn
[● 4 SOURCES] Police found 3,909 pigs weighing over 500 tonnes testing positive for salbutamol during searches in Dong Nai. news.tuoitre.vn · cafef.vn · baochinhphu.vn
[● 2 SOURCES] The ring used salbutamol to increase pig weight from 100-110 kg to 130-140 kg within 30 days. thoibaonganhang.vn · vtv.vn