8 held for selling poison syringes to kill dogs

Beijing, Dec 13: Police in China's Anhui province have arrested eight members of a gang who sold syringes containing chemicals to kill dogs which would then end up on restaurant menus.

Police found that the gang had sold 200,000 such syringes, each containing a large dose of suxamethonium, a narcotic commonly used to sedate or euthanize dogs, media reported.

The needles were sold in more than 20 provinces and regions nationwide. Buyers were mainly dog vendors.

Police said the needles were modified with a spring and a tailfin at the rear so they could be shot like a dart. The syringes contained doses of the narcotic large enough to kill the dogs instantly.

Dog dealers used the modified needles to inject the narcotics into pet dogs on the street which helped them abduct the animals so they could be slaughtered elsewhere for their meat.

When police raided the gang's workshop in Enshi city in China's Hubei province in October, they found four kg of the chemical powder, 10,000 needles and 100,000 yuan cash.