Kaohsiung prosecutors yesterday indicted nine men who in the middle of August allegedly smuggled 154 cats from China, saying that they face prison sentences of up to seven years.
The case sparked a debate over pet smuggling and the handling of seized animals, as authorities euthanized the cats over fears of rabies.
The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office indicted four main suspects, as well as five others who allegedly worked on the fishing boat used to transport the animals, with breaching the Smuggling Penalty Act (懲治走私條例).
The four main suspects are a 56-year-old man surnamed Cheng (鄭), who runs a fishing company; a