Vet student who implanted heroin in puppies is sentenced to prison

A former veterinary student who implanted bags of liquid heroin in the stomachs of Labs, basset hounds and other puppies was sentenced to 6 years in prison Thursday by a judge in Brooklyn federal court.

The charges followed a 2005 raid on a Colombian-based puppy clinic.  Andrés López Elorez, 39, was extradited from Spain last year and pleaded guilty in September.  His lawyer said he has already spent 44 months in prison and will seek credit for time already served in prison here and in Spain.

Elorez, seeking immediate release, didn’t once mention dogs or puppies in remarks to U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson. He said he had been led down the path to involvement in the scheme by a trusted mentor at the vet school, and had established a clean life in Spain after leaving Medellin.

“What happened was an accident, a dark chapter in my life,” said Elorez, who is now married, with two children, and said he was taking veterinary courses in Spain to try to get his degree. 

Prosecutors did not dispute his claims that he had established a crime-free life in Spain, but said that even though the plot to use puppies as drug mules occurred almost 15 years ago, it merited serious punishment. They asked for a sentence, in keeping with advisory federal guidelines, of at least 82 months.

“This is the time to hold him accountable,” said prosecutor Alicia Washington. “The defendant betrayed his vet skills and used those skills for harm.”

Johnson called it a “heinous” crime but gave no reasons for chopping months off the guidelines. Elorez did make efforts to provide information to the government. When he completes his sentence, he will be deported, but it isn’t clear whether he would be sent to Spain or Colombia.

Elorez, according to the charges, rented a farm on which the puppies were raised, and then performed surgeries. The goal of the scheme was to surgically remove the heroin from the puppies after they were brought into the United States.

Ten puppies were found when the facility was raided, some with heroin already implanted that had to be removed. Three died from a virus contracted during surgery. Among those saved, a Rottweiler became a drug-sniffing dog for Colombian police and was named "Heroina." A basset hound was adopted by a policeman's family.

“Every dog has its day,” Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement Thursday. “With today’s sentence, Elorez has been held responsible for the reprehensible use of his veterinary skills to conceal heroin inside puppies as part of a scheme to import dangerous narcotics into the United States.”