Agencies to crack down on illegal chicken imports   More than 254 tonnes of chicken and 2.8 million eggs were seized; fines imposed totalled VND2.8 billion ($133,000), the ministry reported, adding that smugglers have hired women, children and drug addicts to transport poultry illegally across the border.- Photo anninhthudo HA NOI (VNS)  - About 1,700 illegal poultry import cases were dealt with nationwide in the first nine months of this year, a meeting chaired by deputy PM Nguyen Thien Nhan was told by the trade ministry. More than 254 tonnes of chicken and 2.8 million eggs were seized; fines imposed totalled VND2.8 billion ($133,000), the ministry reported, adding that smugglers have hired women, children and drug addicts to transport poultry illegally across the border. Poultry smugglers also "acted against people on public duty," the ministry said. While the business is less lucrative than drug smuggling, it nonetheless tempts many looking to make a quick profit. Nhan, who is also Chief of the Interdisciplinary Steering Committee on Food Hygiene and Safety, ordered authoris-ed agencies to take drastic measures to deal with the situation at the meeting. He told authorised agencies in border Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces to tighten inspections. Reportedly, they seized over 40,000 illegally imported birds so far this month. He also asked the health and agriculture ministries to co-operate with relevant agencies to inspect rejected chicken imported from South Korea that is currently being sold in Viet Nam. After these inspections, an official announcement about the chicken's quality would be published, he said. The rejected chicken has sold well in supermarkets, despite the lack of information about its quality. The chickens, believed to contain antibiotics residue, have thick skin and larger anuses due to excessive egg-laying. According to a supermarket salesperson, the rejected chicken costs about VND50,000 (US$2.3) per kilo, while consumers have to pay about VND150,000 ($7) to buy a kilo of domestic chicken -VNS