On the afternoon of 6/4, at the first quarter information conference, the Hanoi City Police's Economic Police Department reported that since early 2026, Do Van Thanh had collected approximately 3,600 diseased pigs (about 300 tons of meat) from Phu Tho and Tuyen Quang provinces. He then transported these pigs to Nguyen Thi Hien at the Van Phuc slaughterhouse.

Nguyen Thi Hien subsequently slaughtered the pigs and sold the meat to the public and Cuong Phat Food Company Limited. Cuong Phat, in turn, resold the meat to other businesses, which supplied it to kindergartens, primary schools, and collective kitchens across Hanoi and neighboring provinces.

Police investigations revealed that after purchasing the diseased pigs, Cuong Phat processed and packaged the meat, affixing labels that falsely claimed it was "clean pork." The entities that bought from Cuong Phat then distributed this meat to 26 schools and several public kindergartens.

"We are verifying each school individually. However, we have not yet proven collusion between the school kitchens and Cuong Phat," stated the head of the Economic Police Department.

Concluding the conference, Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of Hanoi Police, announced that he had instructed investigative units to determine the responsibility of the implicated entities and kitchens. He emphasized that "diseased pigs exhibit different characteristics, discernible through visual inspection and assessment, and cannot be simply labeled 'clean pork' based solely on falsified legal documents."

The head of Hanoi Police also urged functional units to clarify whether "collusion existed" in the case, given that the violations had persisted for an extended period.

"Over 300 tons of diseased pork is a substantial amount, and the signs of diseased pigs are distinctly different from normal pigs," Mr. Tung remarked, underscoring that "it is unacceptable for young children, who trust their schools, to be exposed to disease-causing agents."

Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Tung speaks at the conference. Photo: Linh Dan

Initial investigations revealed that to legalize the origin of the pigs, Do Van Thanh colluded with Vu Kim Tuan, an official from the Animal Diagnosis, Testing, and Quarantine Center, under the Department of Livestock, Aquaculture, and Veterinary Medicine of Phu Tho province. With certificates issued by Mr. Tuan, Thanh freely transported diseased pigs to the Van Phuc facility to sell to slaughterhouse owners.

At the Van Phuc centralized slaughterhouse, officials from the diagnosis, testing, and slaughter control station arbitrarily imposed a rule prohibiting pigs under 80 kg from being transported inside. Subsequently, veterinary officials collected illegal fees ranging from 250,000 dong to 4-5 million dong per vehicle shipment.

Inside the Van Phuc slaughterhouse, veterinary officials also demanded monthly payments of 5-10 million dong from some slaughterhouse owners. The total amount illegally collected by the suspects reached approximately 2.5 billion dong.

Inside Van Phuc slaughterhouse. Photo: Police provided

For these violations, the police have initiated legal proceedings for "abusing position and power to appropriate property" against three officials from the Hanoi Department of Livestock, Aquaculture, and Veterinary Medicine: Le Ngoc Anh, 52 (Head of the Diagnosis, Testing, and Slaughter Control Center), and two subordinates, Nguyen Phong Nam, 43, and Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 42.

Nguyen Thi Hien, 31, owner of the Van Phuc slaughterhouse, along with Do Van Thanh, Nguyen Thi Binh, and Nguyen Van Thanh (Director of Cuong Phat Food Company Limited), have been charged with "violating food safety regulations."