On 22/12, Le Quang Quyet, Nguyen Duc Dat (33), and five others were arrested by the Economic Police Department (PC03) of Ho Chi Minh City Police. They face charges of producing and trading counterfeit food, an operation that involved transforming pork into fake beef, which was then sold to numerous eateries across the city.
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Suspects producing fake beef. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Police |
The arrests followed an investigation initiated last November. The PC03, in coordination with Thoi An Ward Police (former District 12), inspected a food processing facility. There, authorities discovered Quyet and several employees actively producing beef, with tens of kilograms prepared for customer delivery, exhibiting clear signs of counterfeiting.
Based on Quyet's testimony, police expanded their investigation. This led to a warehouse inspection on Street 6, Hiep Binh Ward (former Thu Duc City), where Dat was apprehended. He was found concealing nearly 250 kg of finished fake beef products.
Investigation results identified Quyet as the ringleader of the operation, which began in February. The facility operated without a business registration license, paid no taxes, and had no employment contracts. Quyet revealed that Dat instructed him on the production process and supplied the raw materials: pork, industrial salt sodium metabisulfite, and various other additives.
The process involved soaking procured pork in a mixture of pig blood and chemicals. This treatment was designed to mimic the color and appearance of genuine beef. Following this, the product was packaged, frozen, and subsequently sold in the market under the guise of beef.
On average, the facility produced about 600 kg of fake beef daily. This counterfeit product was distributed to approximately 75 eateries within Ho Chi Minh City and some neighboring areas. The fake beef was sold at prices ranging from 118,000 to 140,000 VND per kilogram.
The case is currently under further investigation as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the counterfeiting ring.
Nhat Vy
