China seizes 40-year-old meat in smuggling crackdown

Many Americans avoid buying slightly bruised fruit from the stand. The Chinese blackmarket was selling smuggled meat, some date stamped as far back as 1975.

BBC reports, in a national crackdown, Chinese authorities seized more than 100,000 tons of smuggled meat estimated to be worth about $483 million.

“It was smelly and I nearly threw up when I opened the door," an official from Hunan province, where 800 tons were seized, told the BBC.

The frozen meat, including beef, chicken feet and duck necks, was often transported in nonrefrigerated trucks to save money, causing it to thaw during transport and be refrozen multiple times.

According to the BBC, authorities believe meat is smuggled into China via neighboring Hong Kong and Vietnam, as well as countries such as Brazil and India, to sidestep import restrictions. State media said 21 criminal gangs had been targeted by the police operation, with 20 people arrested in Hunan province alone.

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