Two more milk dealers were arrested in north China's Hebei Province late Monday for allegedly selling contaminated milk.
This brings the total number arrested to four, said Shi Guizhong, spokesman of Hebei Provincial Security Department. As of Tuesday, 22 others were detained for questioning by local police.
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The newly arrested dealers were only identified by their surnames as Ma, 40, and Zhao, 43.
Ma, a native of Luquan City, ran a farm in his hometown where some 400 cows were milked to produce three tons of milk each day. According to police, he worked with wife and son.
In November 2007, Ma purchased around 200 kg of the chemical melamine. He then mixed it with fresh milk purchased from individual cow owners and resold it to Sanlu Group.
Police seized about 15 kg of melamine from Ma's home.
Also arrested was Zhao, a native of Jinzhou City. He was serving as the manager of a cow propagating business based in Dahe Township of Luquan City. Police said he bought four bags of melamine, weighing 80 kg in total, at an expense of 1,520 yuan (217 U.S. dollars). The chemical was mixed in milk from Zhao's company and resold to Sanlu Group.
[ Read more: Sanlu apologizes for milk powder contamination ]
"I have raised more than 100 head of New Zealand cows which produced strange smelling milk that Sanlu would not buy," Zhao told police during interrogation. "Someone told me if melamine is added, it will not only dispel the strange smell of the milk, but will also drive up the protein content in the milk."
Two other milk dealers had been arrested. They are brothers surnamed Geng.
The spokesman said more arrests are likely.
Police detained another man surnamed Zhao for allegedly selling melamine around Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei. Police believe he worked in collaboration with another suspect surnamed Xue.
Zhao, aged 62, is a native of Xingtang County, Hebei Province. Xue has gone into hiding.
An estimated 1,253 babies developed kidney stones after drinking tainted baby formula produced by Sanlu Group, a Chinese dairy giant based in Hebei Province. Two babies died as a result.
The Health Ministry on Tuesday pledged free health care for all babies sickened by the contaminated formula.
[ Read more: Free treatment pledged to tainted milk-affected babies ]
(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2008)