Police Uncover Dog Smuggling Scam Worth €200,000

Customs authorities in Finland have uncovered an illegal and highly lucrative trade of importing dogs into the country.

A smuggling operation that specialised in the illegal importation of dogs from all around Europe has been uncovered and revealed that the suspect reaped massive financial gains due to their unscrupulous practices, writes Helsinki Times, Wednesday, July 19.

The case raises serious concerns with regard to animal welfare and also highlights the need for animal lovers everywhere to be extra vigilant when buying a pet.

The suspect behind the illegal trade had craftily gotten around the required vaccinations and checks for the import of dogs into Finland. Authorities suspect that the smugglers raked in profits of around €200,000.

The dogs were illegally imported from countries that included Ukraine, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Spain.

It is believed that over the last few years around 80 dogs were smuggled into Finland, a figure which reached a peak in 2022. To escape suspicion the smuggler engaged numerous private individuals to import the dogs under the pretence of pets rather than a commodity for resale.

Finnish Customs officers discovered discrepancies in the seller’s bookkeeping entries along with a two-year absence of records.

This led to a house search in 2022, which uncovered numerous documents related to the dogs, accounting material, sale contracts, and illegally imported veterinary medicines which had also been illegally imported.

Another worrying aspect was that some of the imported dogs had not received the correct vaccinations against rabies or proper treatment for echinococcosis.

Many of the dog’s passports were full of false information, and none of them possessed the required TRACES animal health certificate. All these discrepancies posed a serious threat to the health of the animals.

The case raises serious concerns with regard to animal welfare and also highlights the need for responsible animal lovers everywhere to be extra vigilant when buying a pet.