Dogs forced to carry drugs then dismembered

 
Bo Wilson10 July 2013

A Latin American gang used dogs to smuggle drugs into Italy and then killed them.

A vet in Mexico forced them to swallow packs of cocaine before they were flown into Milan and dismembered. Animal rights activists say many of the dogs must have died before arriving in Italy as a small leak of cocaine would have been fatal.

The smuggling operation was first uncovered in March, when 75 arrests were made. Now 49 suspected gang members face trial in October.

Police say the Ecuadorean, Peruvian and Salvadoran nationals used large breeds such as dogue de Bordeaux.

Investigative judge Fabrizio D’Arcangelo told reporters the armed gangs were involved in several crimes in and around Milan.

The suspected gang members, aged between 19 and 37, are thought to be part of youth drug gangs known as “pandillas”.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in