A veterinarian caught implanting heroin into dogs and puppies as part of a convoluted scheme to smuggle drugs across international borders has been sentenced to six years in prison.
On February 7 in Brooklyn, U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue announced the sentence for 39-year-old Andres Lopez Elorez, who pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to import heroin into the United States.
The scheme involved stitching packets of heroin into the bellies of puppies and dogs and sending the animals to the United States. According to the U.S. government, Elorez leased a farm in Medellin, Colombia, where he secretly raised dogs for the express purpose of turning them into couriers for drug cartels.
The heroin was surgically removed from the puppies when they arrived in the United States. Elorez and his co-conspirators relied on this appalling method of transport to illegally import at least one kilogram of heroin into the U.S. between September 8, 2004 and January 1, 2005.
Law enforcement searched the farm on January 1, 2005 and seized 17 bags of liquid heroin — ten of which were retrieved from inside the bodies of puppies. Three of the puppies died as a result of contracting a virus after the drugs were surgically implanted in them.
Instead of answering for his disturbing crimes, the veterinarian went on the run. Finally, in 2015, he was arrested in Spain. In May 2018, Elorez was extradited to the United States.
Donoghue, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, pledged to achieve justice in a written statement: “Dogs are mans’ best friend and, as the defendant is about to learn, we are drug dealers’ worst enemy.”
Two of the dogs were fortunate enough to go on to live happy, healthy lives. A Colombian police officer and his family adopted a beagle named Donna, and a Rottweiler named Heroina was trained to become a drug detection dog by Colombian police.
Upon the completion of his sentence, Elorez will be deported from the United States.
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ALL animals DESERVE respect, love, care & protection! A GRATEFUL human would have a heart of Empathy, Compassion, Humanity & Kindness for all our precious beloved animal friends! Live a MEANINGFUL life by doing GOOD to every living being! Always remember that God is watching all of us!
the jerk who put the bags of heroin in the dogs bodies MUST GET BAGS OF HEROIN STUFFED DOWN HIS THROAT & LET HIM SUFFER THE PAIN. ALSO LONG JAIL TIME & HEFTY FINES.
SOB
Thank god. Let’s take time today to pray that this will pass 100%. Abuse an animal go to jail yes
THANK YOU for bringing these monsters to Justice — let’s pray these crimes against animals will NEVER be repeated — my heart breaks for the dogs who died — thank you for finding loving homes for the rest of the dogs.
Six years not enough for the vet. He will serve 2 and be out. He should have been sentenced to at least 20 years.
Should have just sewn the drugs into this worthless POS’s body instead and left him to suffer. And he’s SUPPOSED to be a vet????
Horrific and disgusting cruelty.
I can’t even imagine the torment these poor animals were put through. I think he deserves a longer sentence that what he was given.
Elorez is a piece of shit that needs to be flushed down the toilet.
I’m in complete and utter shock What the hell is this person doing working as a fckn vet 😡😡😡😡 He’s supposed to look after the animals that are in his care, they are the his responsibility. It’s a professional code of ethics that he will always act in the best interest of the animal. What he did goes completely against every aspect of this profession. He should be sacked and never allowed to have another animal in his care for the rest of his life, he should of been banned from ever having a pet aswell. 6yrs is reasonable although personally I don’t think it’s long enough for the stupid irresponsible risks he took and putting the lives of every single pup in jeopardy.
We know the guy was sent to prison because the drugs not because of the abuse and killing of 2 puppies and possible killing of the other dogs.
The law does not protect these or any other animals, they protect the abusers.
This dispicable vet & cronies need long jail terms. Only by the grace of God did these pups survive. Drugs put inside animals is just plain evil !!!!!! Make these sub humans pay.
Although upsetting, i make a point of signing & sharing all the petitions & some of the stories are so heart-warming. Bless you all. Tysm for letting me be part of the amazing site xx xx
You have to be really sick to do Something like this. Hope this guy will pay dearly and loose his vet name. But you know: There is a special place in hell for those that harm children and animals.
Though I am starting to understand this this talk of prisons are only for Black males because if this was a Black man who did this if they give him the death penalty but this messican only gets 6 years
And the democrats and the traitorous coropratists wing of the republican party are pushing for a borderless society hee-yeah TIIIIIIIIGHT sure uh huh.
Abuse an animal…go to jail without bond!
My companion animals have treatment and care from skilled, experienced and reliable Veterinarians: which I’m more than happy to fund, for these professionals have dedicated many years and $$$ to higher education, extended working-hours, gaining an extraordinary knowledge-base across many disciplines. Why anyone who has been TRAINED in, and STUDIED, animal science could purposefully inflict this torment and torture upon puppies is completely beyond my comprehension. I trust that this convicted animal-abuser will face further charges once the custodial sentence is served in Colombia.
vet
This is not the first time that veterinarians have been in the news for doing horrible things to animals. Obviously, some of them go to veterinary school so that they will have regular access to helpless animals. It’s the same way that child molesters often go into careers where they have steady access to children.
He should also not be allowed to ever practice as a vet again or to be employed with, or own animals ever again. Totally unacceptable and beyond cruel.
Well, I hope he won’t be allowed to work as a vet in Colombia again after that. Veterinarians are supposed to TAKE CARE of animals, not make them sick.
God did not invent puppies to be drug “mules.” I hope that Colombia metes out a nasty punishment to Lopez Elorez once the USA deports him back to Colombia. What a creep. Maybe all of the drug mules who have died plying their trade can haunt him while he is in his prison cell.
That guy is an asshole!!!
I think the sentence is related to the drug smuggling, not the animal abuse. I believe that those people here would put the animal abuse as a more serious crime than merely bringing some drugs into the country.
Are you kidding? This is absolutely disgusting behaviour of abet and they should be stuck off immediately and NEVER allowed near an any animal again! Shame on you.
Poor puppies! I’m so glad the authorities are taking this seriously and the perpetrator suffering the consequences of his actions. Hopefully, the consequences are real harsh and that man never comes out of jail! I’m glad the other puppies are doing well and are in loving homes.
My heart bleeds for these sweet puppies how can anyone be so heartless and cruel? These puppies have feelings just like us they deserve love and affection not torture!!!!! I hope you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. You are a disgusting excuse for a human being!!!!!! You should pay all medical costs for the puppies as well .
Unless this is six years of extremely hard labor, this sentence is a joke. This is drug smuggling and should have had a much stiffer penalty. There are people here in the US serving much longer sentences for low-level drug crimes. One man has been in prison for over 20+ years for marijuana possession, not heroin smuggling. Did he pay off some officials to get such a low sentence?????
Is that all 6 years!
Six years in prison? What’s that to him? Give him the lethal injection.
GOOD . THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS IN COLOMBIA FOR YEARS..BUT GOOD NEWS SOMEONE IS HELD RESPONSIBLE.
Perhaps he could be deported to the moon? the world doesn’t need him.
Six years is not enough. He should have life in prison, or the death penalty.
What a terrible thing for the vet to do , Hope the dogs are all right ! Protect them !
The INGRATE DESERVES A WHOLE HELL OF ALOT MORE TIME THAN 6 YRS. OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM SUCKS TO PUT IT BLUNTLY. HE WILL BE OUT IN NOTIME DOING THE SAME DISGUSTING THING TO INNOCENT ANIMALS. . THE MERE FACT THAT TWO OF THESE BEAUTIFUL INNOCENT CREATIONS BY GOD ARE DEAD DUE TO PURE IGNORANCE IS ENOUGH TO GIVE THIS PERSON AT LEAST 15 YRS.
This POS was supposed to heal animals not endanger them.
This vet should get the death penalty. Drug trafficking, killing our young people and torture of animals. He’s a monster. I hope he serves all six years, and is finally killed in prison!
He should never be allowed to practise as a vet again!
And we all thought puppy mills were the worst, and this POS vet makes them even more horrific.
I hope Andres Lopez Elorez meets animal lovers while incarcerated, and he gets a taste of justice.
So happy for doggy Donna, and WOW! for Heroina – going from being forced to carry drugs, to detecting them!!!
Many happy years to them, and hopefully any other dogs abused by this monster.
Hey Tricia, two things inmates hate, MEN WHO HURT WOMEN AND ANIMALS. SO LETS KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED, HE DOESN’T EVER GET OUT ALIVE
I hope your cell mate is a dog lover. You took an oath to protect animals and you used them for your profit. You cut them open and stitched drugs into their bodies without a second thought for their safety or the senseless pain you inflicted on them. CURSE YOU! There is a special place in Hell for you. Praying that the dogs are ok and placed in loving homes.
Another thought: I hope that they do not place this loser with a prisoner who trains dogs to be service animals. There are prisoners who do train dogs while in prison. Authorities need to be careful to keep dogs in training far away from this creep.
And I agree – there IS a special place in hell for this thug. And dog lovers among the prison population will not take kindly to this asshole using sweet little puppies as drug “mules”.
I’m sorry I forgot to add how very cool about Donna being abdopted with a loving home and with one of the officers and Heroina becoming a drug sniffing dog to help stop the drugs coming , true four legged heroes!!!!!!
Yes finally starting to see justice for animal cruelty, he was a vet trained to heal the four legged not use them as a courier system. I feel sorry for the puppies that died for his greed. Hopefully he gets some justice in jail.
I’m sorry it’s hard to keep things peaceful and family friendly? What’s wrong with anyone thinking any different