Fourteen different groups have been busted smuggling frozen meat products worth up to 3-billion yuan.

The General Administration of Customs says around 100-thousand metric tons of frozen meat have been seized.

The smugglers are accused of purchasing the meat for very low prices from foreign countries, and then have it delivered to Hong Kong in refrigerated containers.

The products would then be moved to the mainland via Vietnam, with the smugglers hiring people living in border areas to move the products to Chinese border cities and then on to Changsha before the products are transported to sites around the country.

Some of the meat confiscated in the sting is said to be over 40-years old.

Officials are warning the smuggling of meat products is potentially deadly, as untested meats can contain deadly viruses.