Global
In the context of efforts to combat organized crime related to animal protection and law enforcement, security authorities in Vietnam arrested twelve individuals involved in setting traps for wild cats and stealing domestic cats for the purpose of promoting and selling them to local restaurants. Security investigations confirmed that approximately two thousand seven hundred cats fell victim to these illegal activities. During the operation, forces managed to confiscate fifty live cats alongside trapping tools and seven motorcycles used for transportation. Field press follow-ups explained that this criminal network recruited multiple elements within various residential areas inside Ho Chi Minh City to carry out cat hunting operations. It is worth noting that Vietnamese law classifies the theft of pet cats as personal property theft, although consuming cat meat is legal and available in a number of restaurants provided owners present official certificates proving the source of such meat. In the same context, Ho Chi Minh City police had earlier this year arrested about eighteen individuals on similar charges related to stealing cats for food purposes.
