A raid by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) of Hong Kong in February this year revealed a suspected case of selling dog and cat meat for food, where the suspected dog and cat meat were seized. Four Vietnamese holding temporary identification documents in Hong Kong were charged with seven crimes including “selling or allowing others to sell dog meat and cat meat for food.” Under police warning, the 50-year-old main defendant admitted to running the restaurant for three months and selling dog and cat meat, but denied slaughtering the dogs and cats himself, claiming he purchased the meat from Vietnamese seamen every month.

The perpetrator was a Vietnamese family who operated an unlicensed restaurant and sold dog and cat meat in Shanghai Street, Mongkok earlier this year. Four family members were charged with “selling dog meat for food”, “illegally accepting employment and starting a business, etc.”, “selling dog meat, etc. or allowing others to sell dog meat for food”, “using or allowing others to use dog meat and cat meat for food” and “operating a restaurant business without a license issued by the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Department”. The fourth defendant (16 years old), the son of the couple involved in the case, was found not guilty after trial. The other three, two men and one woman, pleaded guilty earlier. The case was sentenced at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court today. The three defendants who pleaded guilty were each sentenced to 17 months and 2 weeks in prison.

According to the case, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department received a report on February 7 this year that a restaurant in Mong Kok District was selling dog meat. Its team then went to the restaurant undercover to purchase Vietnamese dishes and takeaway steamed dog meat, totalling more than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars. The team observed that there were menus showing dog meat, cat meat, etc., with handwritten bills listing the amounts charged. In a joint operation, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the police seized a large amount of suspected dog and cat meat, leading to the arrest of four defendants, all of whom were holding temporary identification documents in Hong Kong.

Magistrate Judge Zhu said on Friday that the defendants entered the country illegally, opened the restaurant without license, and even sold cat and dog meat which is an aggravating factor in this case. The judge emphasized that this case involved 5.4 kilograms of dog meat and 4 kilograms of cat meat, which “obviously involved many poor cats and dogs.” He said that in order to send a strong message to the public, an immediate jail sentence as a deterrent and warning was necessary. (Case Number: WKCC2043/2024)