Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2009/05/12/dog_trafficking/
Cops collar Russian punting dog dressed as lamb
Mutton on the menu in Moscow restaurants
Posted in Bootnotes, 12th May 2009 08:51 GMT
Police in the Russian city of Orlov have detained a 50-year-old Kursk businessman en route to Moscow with a bootload of "dressed mutton" - actually 15 skinned dog carcasses destined for Moscow eateries.
Officials from the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, aka Rosselkhoznadzor, said the mutt-trafficking cuffing followed a similar incident in March when cops discovered another dead canine cargo on a bus from Kursk.
The vehicle's driver said "an unknown man came up to him at the bus terminal and suggested delivering boxes of meat to the capital for some payment", according to Pravda.
The trade is, animal rights groups suggest, feeding up to 50 Moscow restaurants which, "besides those serving Korean cuisine", punt dog dressed as mutton.
The latest dog-smuggling detainee, named only as Sergey K, now faces animal cruelty charges. Yevgeny Dubrovin, an official from the Kursk region, said: “Now the red-handed businessman will surely get his comeuppance."
He concluded: "It seems the deliveries of dog meat to Moscow are organized as a full production line - some people raise and slaughter dogs, others transport them to the capital. The police must track down this chain down to its end and expose all who take part in this hideous business.” ®
Bootnote
Regarding our rather snappy headline, we know mutton is not the same as lamb, but we're sure you'll cut us some slack on this one.