5 nabbed at unlicensed Hong Kong eatery suspected of serving dog, cat meat
Five people were arrested on Feb 29 at an unlicensed eatery in Hong Kong that operated from a flat and was suspected to serve cat and dog meat.
Some 35kg of frozen meat was confiscated in a multi-agency raid on the 500 sq ft establishment in Mong Kok, where menus in Vietnamese were found.
The meat samples will be tested to ascertain their animal origins, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on March 1.
Evidence, such as menus, cooking utensils and business records, were also seized, reported media outlet The Standard.
Among the five arrested were four asylum seekers, on charges of flouting the stipulations of their stays under immigration laws, which do not allow them to work, and also over animal cruelty.
Slaughtering dogs and cats is prohibited in Hong Kong, as is selling their meat. Offenders face up to six months in prison and a maximum fine of HK$5,000 (S$860).
One of those arrested, a 50-year-old asylum seeker, is alleged to have run the restaurant without a licence.
A source said he had been dishing out food prepared with suspected dog and cat meat in the flat for six months, according to SCMP.
A 16-year-old boy was among the other three asylum seekers nabbed. They are accused of serving these dishes at the premises.
“More than 10 residents of the building said they were not aware of the restaurant’s existence. A man said he saw people coming in and out of the flat but did not notice anything suspicious,” reported SCMP.
The fifth man arrested, 33, was an illegal immigrant who was at the flat to meet acquaintances. He had allegedly entered mainland China hidden in a truck and then entered Hong Kong by boat.
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