Man who illegally imported puppies from Romania banned from keeping animals

Alexandru-Constantin Ghita, 28, of Old Redding, Harrow, was convicted of two counts of landing an animal, one count of trading an unlicensed pet shop and one count of failing to ensure the needs of a protected animal at Hendon Magistrates' Court on Thursday, August 17.

He was banned from keeping any animals for five years and fined £3,335.

On Sunday, June 18, police were called to an address in Waller Drive, Northwood, to reports of a suspected burglary in progress.

Officers attended and found no evidence of a break-in but did discover six young puppies running loose in a cluttered garage with no natural light or water.

The puppies, four French bulldogs and two pugs, were taken into police possession under the Animal Welfare Act. A veterinary surgeon determined they had originated from abroad and were too young to have been lawfully imported.

The case was referred to animal health inspectors from the City of London Corporation who ordered that the puppies be placed into quarantine.

Ghita, a Romanian national residing in Old Redding, Harrow, was identified as the person responsible for landing the animals following a police investigation and was subsequently interviewed under caution.

Ghita gave an account that he was bringing the animals to the UK as gifts for his friends and not as a commercial activity but evidence obtained by investigators showed that adverts had been placed on-line offering the dogs for sale and that they had been imported from Romania, undergoing a 48-hour journey across Europe to reach the UK.

The dogs will now be re-homed through the Dogs Trust.

Inspector Paddy O’Hara, of the Metropolitan Police's Status Dog Unit, said: “Ghita kept these animals in poor conditions without any consideration for their needs. We are pleased to see that they are now safe and will be re-homed by our colleagues at the Dogs Trust, who have homed them in their kennels at their own expense. We are very grateful.”