Authorities in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City have arrested 12 men suspected of running an extensive citywide operation that stole and resold approximately 2,700 cats to be slaughtered for meat. Among those detained is 39-year-old Luu Thanh Binh, whom police identified as the alleged ringleader of the network.
According to investigators, Binh purchased the stolen felines and housed them at a holding facility in the northern part of the city before reselling them. To secure the animals, Binh worked with suppliers who hired individuals to patrol residential neighborhoods on motorcycles late at night, specifically between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. These riders used traps to capture between four and ten cats each night.
The illicit network was dismantled when police raided the operation on July 8, seizing dozens of traps and rescuing about 50 live cats. The suspects subsequently confessed to stealing and selling around 2,700 cats, though officials did not disclose how long the ring had been active. Following the raid, police returned 13 of the recovered cats to their owners, while a nonprofit animal rights organization took custody of the remaining animals while authorities work to locate their owners.
Under Vietnamese law, dogs and cats are classified as private property, meaning taking them constitutes theft. Criminal prosecution for such offenses is typically triggered when the value of the stolen property exceeds 2 million dong, or roughly $77.
While the consumption of dog and cat meat occurs in parts of Asia, it is not a widespread practice. In Vietnam, cat meat has traditionally been consumed more in northern regions and among older generations. However, the custom has seen a steady decline due to rapid urbanization and rising pet ownership, with younger Vietnamese increasingly viewing cats and dogs as companion animals rather than food. This crackdown follows a separate police raid in June, where authorities rescued more than 400 cats, finding dozens of others dead and packed in ice.
A cat is being cared for at a rescue facility of an animal rights group after police raided an operation that steals and resells cats for meat in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, Sept.17, 2026. Humane World for Animals/AP hide caption
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 cats each night.
