On Oct. 5, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency launched criminal proceedings and detained nine suspects linked to the alleged trading and use of banned Salbutamol in pig farming on an exceptionally large scale.

Police uncover large-scale use of banned drug to fatten pigs

In late July, authorities inspected three trucks carrying pigs belonging to Nguyen Van Hieu, born in 1985, and Pham Van Hung, born in 1976, both residents of Dong Nai City.

Tests found that 280 pigs were positive for the banned substance Salbutamol, including 80 that also tested positive for African swine fever virus.

As the investigation expanded, police conducted simultaneous emergency searches at 14 locations, including farms and suspects' homes in Dong Nai City.

Authorities discovered seven facilities and farms holding 3,909 pigs weighing more than 500 tons in total. All tested positive for Salbutamol.

Police also seized more than 1,000kg of the banned substance during the searches.

Investigators initially identified Nguyen Thi Trinh Nu, born in 1989 and originally from Vinh Long, as the alleged supplier of the substance.

Since mid-2025, Nu had allegedly offered farm owners a powder marketed as "Thai and Cambodian feed" that could make pigs leaner and improve their appearance. It was sold for VND375,000, or about $14, per kilogram.

The substance was in fact Salbutamol, which is banned for use in livestock farming.

According to investigators, those involved mixed 100g of Salbutamol into 300kg of feed for every 100 pigs.

For each fattening cycle, during which pigs were reportedly brought from 100kg to 140kg in 30 days, farms used an average of about 3kg of the banned substance.

To evade detection, the suspects allegedly stopped feeding the pigs Salbutamol about 10 days before they were sold and administered liver detoxification products or Bio electrolytes in an attempt to clear residues from the animals.

Quarantine official accused of helping the operation

Investigators also found evidence that the operation allegedly received assistance from a livestock quarantine official.

Vo Quoc Son, born in 1989, a quarantine officer with the Dong Nai City Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Fisheries, allegedly accepted money from Hieu to sign fraudulent certificates authorizing the interprovincial transportation of animals.

Police said Son did not conduct physical inspections. Instead, he allegedly provided Hieu with prepared documents and official seals, allowing Hieu to seal shipments himself.

Those involved also allegedly falsified documents concerning the animals' origins in Ho Chi Minh City to bypass interprovincial quarantine procedures.

The documents were allegedly used to legitimize the transportation of diseased pigs and animals containing banned substances to slaughterhouses in Ho Chi Minh City and provinces in Vietnam's Mekong Delta.

From January 2026 until the operation was dismantled, the network allegedly supplied more than 10,000 tons of pigs containing the banned substance to the market.

Police estimated the transactions were worth more than VND600 billion, or approximately $22.8 million, with the suspects allegedly earning billions of dong in illicit profits.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency has launched criminal proceedings against and detained nine suspects.

Nguyen Van Hieu, Nguyen Huynh Thach Thao, Nguyen Thi Anh, Dong Thi Bay, Nguyen Thanh Tin, Nguyen Van Huy and Pham Van Hung have been charged with violating food safety regulations.

Nguyen Thi Trinh Nu has been charged with trading banned goods, while Vo Quoc Son faces a bribery charge. Hieu has also been charged with giving bribes.

Ho Chi Minh City police are continuing to expand the investigation and pursue all individuals involved in the operation.

Dam De