Drug dealers are turning to puppy smuggling because there is so much money to be made from the illegal trade in fashionable dogs such as french bulldogs, pugs and chihuahuas, animal welfare experts say.
Investigators claim that thousands of dogs a month are being smuggled into Scottish ports from Irish puppy farms. The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) believes it has become a highly organised multimillion-pound operation.
David Martin, a veterinary surgeon with the Shropshire-based Brownlow group, said: “These puppy dealers have given up drug dealing and cigarette importing because there’s as much money to be made and considerably less risk.
“The big dealers are making between £25,000 and £30,000 a week. I’ve seen evidence that some gangs are selling 800 puppies over a six-month period, for between £500 and £1,000 a dog.”
He added: “There are huge welfare issues, but the penalties that are available to courts are laughable.”
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Paula Boyden, of the Dogs Trust charity, said: “The implications are huge — for consumers who are being duped and the puppies that suffer horribly, plus the risk of disease that is kicking at our shores.”
The SSPCA is working with police, port operators and ferry companies to identify the key players in the trade.