Chinese police bust meat smuggling ring

18-Sep-2016 - Last updated on 19-Sep-2016 at 11:18 GMT

Police claim some of the 1,000 tons of meat had been contaminated with bleach

Nearly 1,000 tons of frozen meat, some contaminated with bleach, have been seized by Guangdong police in the South of China, according to reports.

Potentially hazardous frozen meat products worth up to $12.3m on the black market have been seized on a boat in Guandong’s southern waters close to Shenzhen, according to reports in China and the US.

Beef cuts, beef tripe and cow tongue, as well as chicken wings and claws - claimed to be imported from the US, Brazil and Thailand - were seized by police, according to China Daily. The media organisation cites a report from the Guandong Marine Police Department, that claims 16 suspects have been detained following the operation last week.

Bleach-tainted meat

The report claims meat and offal found in the shop was soaked in bleach, something which helps to remove stains on the meat and increase its weight and expiration date. Crew on the shop were not in possession of legal certificates for the frozen meat products, according to reports.

The sting in the latest in a string of illegal meat seized by police as China cracks down on food crime.

Over 530 tons of meat were seized by police in the port of Zhangzhou City in March 2016. In July 2015, police uncovered a secret stash of smuggled meat, some of which was over 40 years old, sparking a state-backed crackdown on food crime that is still ongoing.