Ten thousand poisonous darts used to kill pet dogs are discovered in the underground factory of Chinese gang
- Chinese police have arrested a gang that sold nearly 200,000 poisonous darts
- Images showed the thousands of syringes found in their factory in central China
- The darts were bought by dog thieves who stole and killed pets for their meat
- Dog poisoning is common in China but suspects often escape punishment
The suspects, from central China, produced the syringes with toxic chemicals in their underground factory before selling them across the nation through social media, according to reports from Chinese media.
The use of poison in stealing or killing pet dogs is a common practice in China, but few suspects are arrested and punished partially due to the lack of animal protection laws in the country, sources told MailOnline.
Chinese police discovered more than 10,000 deadly darts as they raided a factory in Enshi city
One suspect points to the poisonous syringes as he confesses making and selling them to the police (left). Officers confiscated other equipment used by the gang to sell the dart (right)
Officers found the liquid in the syringes contained succinylcholine, a chemical that's often used in lethal injection executions.
The recipient of the suspect parcel, surnamed Chen from Wuhan in central China, admitted to the police that he had bought similar poisonous syringes a few times on the internet.
Chen also admitted that he had used the syringes to shoot and kill pet dogs before stealing them with two accomplices, surnamed Zhu and Liang.
With the information given by the trio, officers were able to track down a suspect factory that produce the syringes in Enshi, Hubei Province.
The case came to light in September after a delivery driver spotted a suspect parcel (left) which contained 200 poisonous syringes. The police located the factory (right) afterwards
Two of the suspects confessed to the police they started making poisonous syringes in April
On October 15, the police raided the factory and arrested five suspects on spot.
Officers found more than 10,000 poisonous darts in the factory which were ready to be sold, according a video report on Beijing News. They also confiscated four kilograms of succinylcholine, more than 100,000 yuan (£11,260) cash and a vehicle.
Two of the suspects, surnamed Xu and Liang, confessed that they started making poisonous syringes in April and hired two helpers, surnamed Wu and Yang.
Xu and Liang said they had sold nearly 200,000 poisonous syringes around the country through WeChat and QQ, which are social media platforms in China.
All suspects, including the helpers, sellers and buyers, have been arrested. The case is under further police investigation.
The use of poison in stealing or killing pet dogs is a common practice in China. Above, a suspected dog-thief shoots a dart into a pooch attached to a gate in Guali Town in November
The dog struggles and falls down onto the ground after being attacked by the passerby
The suspect then returns on his scooter and picks up the canine which has passed out
Every year, thousands of pet dogs are poisoned and stolen in China, and as many as 20 million dogs are killed annually to satisfy the dog meat industry.
Wendy Higgins from Humane Society International UK said the practice is 'too common' in China as she called for more attention to it.
She said: 'It's a cruelty that very often sees people's beloved pets targeted, and the animals involved can suffer enormously.
'HSI's Chinese partner groups routinely find dogs and cats on meat trucks headed to slaughter who are clearly suffering toxic poisoning or who have died from poisoning before reaching their destination.'
The stolen pet dog's meat often ends up on the dinner table and their skin is used to make fashion accessories.
Jason Baker, PETA Asia's Vice President, said: 'The demand for cheap leather and dog meat means that often, animals are illegally poisoned so they can be used to make gloves, shoes or belts. The meat from poisoned animals can be lethal when eaten by humans.'
However, both animal welfare organisations praised the police effort in this particular case and call it 'encouraging'.
Ms Higgins said: 'Chinese pet owners often bemoan the fact that the police tend not to take pet theft seriously because of the absence of animal welfare laws, so it is very encouraging to see the authorities taking swift action in this instance.'
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