Two arrested for transporting 22 stolen dogs by taxi

Mai Ngoc Vien, 33, and Dao Van Thuy, 54, are being investigated for "stealing property," a crime punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

Last Saturday, Vien and a friend drove a motorbike to Sa Thay District to steal three dogs. The duo then bought 19 other dogs for VND10 million ($430) from two unidentified sources.

Vien called on Thuy, a taxi driver, to help transport all 22 dogs for consumption purposes. Acting on a tip-off from local residents, police captured them en route.

Police are still hunting Vien's friend, who escaped on his motorbike.

Vietnam consumes an estimated five million dogs a year, second only to China's 20 million.

Many dogs that make the pot are stolen pets sold to small, unregulated abattoirs and killed in brutal fashion.

Dog theft is treated as a crime only when the stolen dogs are valued at more than VND2 million ($86). There's no law against trading dog meat.