DUBAI (AlArabiya.net)
An Egyptian butcher has been arrested for selling donkey and horse meat and passing it off as beef, press reports said on Wednesday.
Local newspapers and satellite channels reported that the arrested butcher used to pick up dead or sick animals from canals, swamps or garbage dumps in the Giza area near Cairo, popular with tourists visiting the Pyramids.
He then skinned and cut to disguise its source and sold it to a frozen meat vendor for 5 Egyptian pounds (0.90 dollars) per kilo.
The vendor reportedly mixed the meat with spices and potatoes, added a chemical substance to cover up the smell, and sold it for 20 Egyptian pounds per kilo to individuals and fast food restaurants.
According to Arabic-language daily, Al-Ahram, police seized 1,500 kilos of rotten meat and animal intestines sold to the public, as well as 250 kilos of donkey and horse meat in a deplorable condition.
The incident is not the first of its kind in Egypt. Years ago, a famous kebab restaurant was found to be serving cat, donkey and horse meat, which led to liver and kidney failure as well as intestinal inflammation.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid). |
