Vietnamese police dismantle cat and dog theft rings

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have dismantled two major criminal networks involved in the large-scale theft and sale of cats and dogs for meat.

In one operation, authorities arrested 12 men, including ringleader Luu Thanh Binh, suspected of stealing approximately 2,700 cats. The group operated between 11:00 PM and 4:00 AM, using traps to capture animals in residential areas before transporting them to a facility north of the city for resale to meat distributors.

In a separate investigation, police arrested four business owners in northern Vietnam—located in Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, and Hanoi—for consuming over 10 tons of dog meat sourced from a professional theft ring led by Nguyen Ba Long. The suspects admitted to purchasing meat through social media despite knowing the products lacked origin documentation, quarantine marks, or legal invoices. Investigators determined the four owners had spent over 860 million VND (approximately $33,263) to acquire the stolen meat.