CHANGSHA: Two meat-smuggling gangs in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province, have been busted by customs officials, Xinhua news agency reported here the other day.
A total of 20 people were detained in dual raids on premises in the city, while about 800 tons of frozen beef, chicken’s feet and ducks’ necks — with an estimated retail value of about 10 million yuan (US$1.6 million) — were seized, the report said.
Some of the meat came from sick animals, while several of the frozen cuts were 40 years past their expiry date, the General Administration of Customs was cited as saying.
Much of the meat is believed to have originated in countries that are on China’s banned list, the report said, without elaborating.
In some cases, the meat was shipped to Vietnam via Hong Kong, before being smuggled into China at the border with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the report said.
The two gangs busted in Hunan were among 21 to be raided by customs officials in 14 provinces earlier this month.
They are believed to have handled a combined 100,000 tons of illegal meat products with a street value of about 3 billion yuan, the report said.
The customs agency said the meat products could pose a serious health hazard to consumers as they had not been properly inspected or transported.
