China 70s Meat Smuggling Bust: Tons Of Decades-Old Meat Seized

Chinese meat smugglers were caught attempting to sell 70s meat. Authorities reportedly seized nearly $500,000 worth of frozen meat smuggled into 14 provinces. Some of the 110,241 tons of beef, pork, duck necks, and chicken wings were more than 40 years old.

Members of Chinese gangs have been arrested in the 70s meat smuggling plot. Some of the meat was always partially thawed and was rotting, according to health officials. The rancid meat was reportedly smuggled into the country from Vietnam and Hong Kong. The date stamps on the meat reportedly shocked government officials conducting the investigation into the meat smuggling ring.

“It was smelly. There was a whole truck of it. I nearly threw up when I opened the door,” Zhang Tao, an official that helped with the operation in Hunan province, said.

The 70s meat was reportedly transported into China via non-refrigerated trucks and cars. Investigators believe the meat was often thawed and refrozen repeatedly. According to Chinese officials, meat imported into Hong Kong is subject to surveillance but not typically tested if the meat is for “re-export.”

Changsha customs officials stated that high profits have created an “extensive supply chain” for meat smugglers. The smugglers are believed to routinely buy meat at rock bottom prices from foreign countries and then have it shipped in refrigerated containers to Hong Kong. The 70s meat and other illegally shipped products are then reportedly moved to the Chinese mainland via a route through Vietnam. Meat smugglers often hire residents of border areas to move the meat to cities along the Chinese border and travel on to the Changsha province before the meat is moved to various market locations around the country.

“To save costs, smugglers often hire ordinary vehicles instead of refrigerated ones. So the meat has often thawed out several times before reaching customers,” said Yang, deputy director of the anti-smuggling bureau.

In perhaps an ironic twist, increasing public concern about food safety in China has prompted an enhanced demand for “foreign meat.” Chinese consumers reportedly prefer buying meat stemming from Europe, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. Over the past three decades, meat consumption has reportedly tripled in China.

The increased demand for meat in China, coupled with a U.S. beef ban, has sparked a growing meat smuggling industry, government officials said. Mad cow disease concerns prompted the ban on beef raised in America. Last summer, China said that U.S. officials had to submit more data about mad cow disease prevention steps before the beef ban could possibly be lifted.

Over the course of the past year, Chinese officials have reportedly arrested meat smugglers from Brazil, the United States, and Finland. Earlier this spring, a meat smuggling ring was busted with $33 million worth of U.S. beef. Last fall, another group of smugglers were caught with multiple tons of Brazilian beef.

[Image via Shutterstock]