LOS ANGELES (AP) - Inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport intercepted eight tiny Pomeranian puppies that were smuggled into the U.S. from Russia, authorities said Monday.
Two Russian citizens stopped August 9 after arriving from Moscow initially declared they were bringing four dogs along for a vacation in Mexico, according to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
While reviewing the animals’ medical history, officials determined that their documentation was fraudulent “because the dogs’ ages were falsified on their rabies vaccination certificates and they were too young to receive rabies vaccination,” the statement said.
Inspectors then discovered four other fluffy white puppies hidden in an abandoned carry-on bag left by the travelers in the inspection area.
The pair admitted that they were trying to smuggle all the puppies into the U.S. without proper documentation with the intent of delivering them to waiting clients.
One of them said she expected to get paid $600 to smuggle the dogs into the U.S., the statement said.
Both travelers were returned to Russia, along with the dogs, CBP said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.