Two New York men were arrested and charged with drug possession and conspiracy for hiding 22 lb. of heroin in the crate of a dog flying into John F. Kennedy airport from Puerto Rico, authorities said Monday.
“It’s alleged that man’s best friend was used in an attempt to smuggle drugs into the city,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
The monetary value of the drugs, Brown said in a release, could total over $1 million.
If convicted, the men, whom the District Attorney’s Office identified as 27-year-old Carlos Beancourt-Morales and 35-year-old Samuel Seabrooks, could face as many as 20 years in prison.
The dog, who was not named in the release and only identified by the district attorney as a “cream-colored shepherd type,” was given to the ASPCA.
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Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com