8 Pomeranian puppies smuggled from Russia intercepted at LAX

Inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport intercepted eight Pomeranian puppies that were smuggled into the U.S. from Russia, authorities said Monday.

Two Russian citizens stopped Aug. 9 after arriving from Moscow initially declared they were bringing four dogs along for a vacation in Mexico, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.

While reviewing the animals’ medical history, officials determined that their documentation was fraudulent “because the dogs’ ages were falsified on their rabies vaccination certificates and they were too young to receive rabies vaccination,” the statement said.

Inspectors then discovered four other fluffy puppies hidden in an abandoned carry-on bag left by the travelers in the inspection area.

The pair admitted that they were trying to smuggle the puppies into the U.S. without proper documentation with the intent of delivering them to waiting clients.

One said she expected to get paid $600 to smuggle the dogs into the U.S., the statement said.

Both travelers were returned to Russia, along with the dogs, the agency said.