The arrest occurred during a highway checkpoint coordinated with the Departament de Territori, Habitatge i Transició Ecològica, aimed at controlling animal transport and importation. Although the van was approved and refrigerated, officers found irregularities in the documentation presented by the man.
Veterinarians confirmed that the fourteen puppies, including breeds such as Capavoo, Cavalier, Maltipoo, and Teckel, were only ten weeks old, five weeks below the minimum legal age of fifteen weeks required for import. Furthermore, they did not meet sanitary guarantees, including effective rabies vaccination.
The falsified documentation included a purchase invoice using the data of a zoological center in Baix Empordà that had closed its doors in September 2024.
The man was arrested for falsification of public, official, or commercial documents. The puppies were preventively seized and transferred to an animal shelter. Police are now investigating the final destination of the dogs, as some were destined for the non-existent center in Baix Empordà and ten for a zoological center in Huesca.
