October 06, 2026

Vietnam cat-theft ring busted: 12 arrested after 2,700 cats stolen for meat

By The Night Desk

Headline card by The Night Desk

Police in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam have arrested 12 men suspected of running a citywide cat-stealing ring that took and resold an estimated 2,700 cats for meat, Vietnamese state media reported Monday.

How it worked

Investigators say the network was run by Luu Thanh Binh, 39, who bought stolen cats, held them at a facility in the north of the city, and resold them for meat.

Binh allegedly worked with suppliers who recruited crews to ride motorcycles through residential neighborhoods between 11 PM and 4 AM, hunting for cats and trapping four to 10 a night.

The raids

• July 8 raid: police found about 50 cats and dozens of traps. Thirteen cats were returned to their owners; a nonprofit animal-rights group is caring for the rest while authorities try to identify their owners.
• June raid (separate case): police rescued more than 400 cats — at least 40 were reunited with their owners, but dozens of dead cats were found packed in ice.

The suspects told investigators they had stolen and sold about 2,700 cats in total. Police did not say how long the operation had been running.

The legal side

Under Vietnamese law, dogs and cats are considered private property, and stealing them counts as theft — criminal prosecution generally applies when the value of the stolen property exceeds 2 million dong (about $77).

Cat meat is traditionally consumed in the country's north among older generations, though the practice has been declining as pet ownership and urbanization grow. In 2024, more than 250,000 people signed a petition calling for an end to Vietnam's dog and cat meat trade, and the city of Hoi An pledged in 2021 to end the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat.

Binh and the 11 others are being investigated for theft, state media said.

Source: Associated Press (via WEXT/NPR) — read the original report