Vietnam police arrest 12 suspected of stealing 2,700 cats for meat
In short
Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested 12 men suspected of running a citywide ring that stole and resold about 2,700 cats for meat, Vietnamese state media said. Investigators identified 39-year-old Luu Thanh Binh as the alleged leader and said the network used motorcyclists who trapped four to 10 cats a night. A July 8 raid found about 50 cats and dozens of traps; 13 cats were returned to their owners.
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Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested 12 men suspected of operating a citywide ring that stole and resold about 2,700 cats for meat, Vietnamese state media said. Police identified 39-year-old Luu Thanh Binh as the alleged leader of the network. He and the 11 others were being investigated for theft, the state media reports said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Investigators said Binh bought stolen cats, kept them at a facility in the city's north and resold them for meat. He worked with suppliers who recruited others to ride motorcycles through residential neighborhoods between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., hunting for cats and trapping four to 10 each night. [ 1 , 2 ]
Police raided the network on July 8 and found about 50 cats and dozens of traps, state media reported. Police returned 13 of the confiscated cats to their owners, and a nonprofit animal rights group was caring for the others while authorities sought to identify their owners. [ 1 , 2 ]
The suspects told investigators they had stolen and sold about 2,700 cats, the reports said. Police did not say how long the operation had been running. Under Vietnamese law, dogs and cats are considered private property, and stealing them is considered theft; criminal prosecution generally applies when the value of the stolen property exceeds 2 million dong ($77). [ 1 , 2 ]
Eating dog and cat meat is not unique to Vietnam and has been practiced in parts of Asia, though it is not common practice. In Vietnam, cat meat traditionally is more commonly consumed in the north, among older generations. The practice has declined with growing pet ownership and urbanization, and younger Vietnamese are more likely to regard dogs and cats as companion animals. [ 1 , 2 ]
In 2024, more than 250,000 people signed a petition calling for an end to Vietnam's dog and cat meat trade, and the city of Hoi An pledged in 2021 to end the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat. Some believe eating cat meat brings good luck, though there is no scientific evidence for such claims. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The case tests how Vietnamese authorities apply ordinary theft law to stolen pets, which the documents say are treated as private property. It also draws attention to a dog and cat meat trade that the documents describe as declining alongside rising pet ownership and urbanization. The scale alleged — about 2,700 cats — is based on the suspects' own accounts, so the case may hinge on what investigators can verify.
Key facts
- Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested 12 men suspected of operating a citywide ring that stole and resold about 2,700 cats for meat, according to Vietnamese state media. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Police identified 39-year-old Luu Thanh Binh as the alleged leader of the network; he and the 11 others were being investigated for theft. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Investigators said Binh bought stolen cats, kept them at a facility in the city's north and resold them for meat. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Recruited riders on motorcycles hunted for cats in residential neighborhoods between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., trapping four to 10 cats each night, investigators said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Police raided the network on July 8 and found about 50 cats and dozens of traps, state media reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Police returned 13 of the confiscated cats to their owners; a nonprofit animal rights group was caring for the others while authorities tried to identify owners. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Under Vietnamese law, dogs and cats are considered private property, and criminal prosecution generally applies when the value of stolen property exceeds 2 million dong ($77). [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Twelve men were arrested in Ho Chi Minh City over a suspected ring that stole and resold cats for meat, Vietnamese state media reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Investigators said the network's riders worked overnight on motorcycles and trapped four to 10 cats a night. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Police raided the network on July 8 and found about 50 cats and dozens of traps. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Police identified Luu Thanh Binh, 39, as the alleged leader, and said he and 11 others were being investigated for theft. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- The stated figure of about 2,700 stolen cats It rests on what the suspects told investigators, as reported by state media, rather than on an independently verified count.
- How long the operation had been running The documents say police did not say how long the network had operated.
- The identities and specific roles of the 11 other suspects Only the alleged leader is named in the documents; the others are described only as being investigated for theft.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Recruited riders on motorcycles hunted for cats in residential neighborhoods during these hours, trapping four to 10 cats each night, investigators said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Police raided the network and found about 50 cats and dozens of traps, according to state media. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Associated Press reported the arrests, citing Vietnamese state media. [ 1 ]
- The Seattle Times carried the same account, including the law that treats dogs and cats as private property. [ 2 ]
- NPR reported the arrests, citing state media and investigators on the overnight trapping. [ 3 ]