The Swedish Customs has never stopped so many dogs as last year.
In total, there are 523 pieces, most of which have been discovered at the borders in southern Sweden.
One reason for the upswing is that more people wanted to buy a dog during the pandemic, which caused demand to skyrocket.
A new report from the Swedish Environmental Crime Agency, the Swedish Tax Agency and Customs mentions three actors involved in dog smuggling, namely private individuals, non-profit associations and people with links to organized crime.
- It is noticeable that people have realized that it is possible to make money on this.
Then it is organized crime that takes care of it and organizes the purchases, transport and then sales in Sweden, says Jonas Karlsson who is an expert at the Swedish Customs.
In the clip, you will hear more about why people with links to organized crime have entered the world of dog smuggling.
Proposals to prevent smuggling
The biggest concern from the authorities is that the puppies can carry rabies and thus can infect animals and humans in Sweden.
The report addresses several suggestions on how to prevent and combat dog smuggling.
Among other things, they want the Swedish Customs, the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the county administrative boards to have a better collaboration in order to be able to exchange information with each other without obstacles to confidentiality.
A comprehensive register for dogs should also be created so that they can be traced from birth or import to the current owner.