Venezuela vet held over 'drugs implanted into puppies'

Image source, Guardia Civil

Image caption, The man was arrested in north-western Spain

Spanish police have arrested a Venezuelan vet who allegedly tried to smuggle drugs from Colombia to the US by implanting them into puppies.

The veterinarian, on the run for 10 years, is wanted by US authorities for extradition on drugs charges.

He had been in charge of a veterinary clinic in the Colombian city of Medellin in which police found a number of puppies with bags of liquid heroin implanted into their stomachs.

He was detained in north-western Spain.

On the run

Colombian police found the Labrador and Rottweiler puppies with the drug implants in 2005 in a Medellin veterinary clinic.

They said the puppies had been due to be shipped to the United States "as pets" to avoid arousing the suspicion of the customs authorities.

The Venezuelan man was arrested by the Spanish authorities once before, in 2013, but disappeared while awaiting extradition to the United States.

Before his 2013 arrest he had been on the run from police for eight years.

Spanish police said this time he had hidden in the town of Santa Comba in La Coruna province and broken off all communication with his wife and children in order not to be located by the authorities.