22 held in puppy drug smuggling

Drug agents in New York arrested 22 Colombian nationals in an elaborate smuggling scheme that used human “swallowers” and purebred puppies who had been surgically implanted with heroin to move narcotics into the United States.

John P. Gilbride, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) field office in New York, said the smuggling ring was responsible for moving more than 44 pounds of heroin into this country.

Authorities said a Colombian veterinarian had stitched 14 packets containing a total of about 6 pounds of liquid heroin — worth more than $200,000 wholesale — into six puppies. Three of the dogs died from infection after the drugs were removed.

“The organization’s outrageous and heinous smuggling method of implanting heroin inside puppies is a true indication of the extent that drug dealers go to make their profit,” Mr. Gilbride said. “This investigation identified the individuals who were responsible for overseeing and smuggling millions of dollars worth of heroin from Colombia to the East Coast.”

Mr. Gilbride said human couriers, termed swallowers, ingested the heroin packets for transporting. In addition, he said, the heroin was concealed in body creams and aerosol cans, pressed into bead shapes and sewn into the lining of purses and double-sided luggage.

Ten puppies destined to become drug couriers were rescued during a raid last year on a farm in Colombia.

The arrests were made after a two-year multi-agency investigation that identified an organization based in Medellin, whose distribution network reached from Miami to New York. The operation culminated in an international roundup yesterday that included 18 search warrants in six Colombian cities.

Mr. Gilbride said the Colombian National Police Heroin Task Force assisted in the investigation. Other agencies included the Bogota, New York, Miami and Atlanta offices of the DEA, the U.S. attorney’s office in New York, and the Johnston County Sheriffs Department in North Carolina.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Wenner and Paige Petersen in New York.