Two males have been sentenced at Belfast Crown Court for fraud-related offences in reference to a puppy smuggling investigation final 12 months in Belfast.
Mark Hirst, aged 46, was convicted of fraud by false illustration and 48-year-old Oliver McVeigh was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false illustration.
Commenting, Detective Inspector Sweeney stated: “On Tuesday, 2nd August 2022 detectives from the Police Service’s Organised Crime Branch stopped Mark Hirst in his van in Belfast.
“The vehicle was searched and police observed 60 animals, mainly puppies, on board. False travel documents were also discovered.
“Further enquiries made by detectives connected Oliver McVeigh to the investigation who provided animals to Hirst in order to transport them across the water with the intention of selling them.”
Hirst was subsequently handed down a four-month custodial sentence on Thursday morning, fifth December in court docket. He has additionally forfeited £3,493.40 and 1,482 euro below civil POCA laws.
Meanwhile, McVeigh was handed down a three-month custodial sentence that was suspended for one 12 months.
Detective Inspector Sweeney continued: “We note the custodial sentence handed down today and organised crime gangs will seek to exploit any mechanism for making money that they can.
“We have worked hard on this investigation, alongside our partners in DAERA to rescue a large number of puppies and deny the ability to exploit this harmful trade for criminal gain.
“We will continue to work with our partner agencies to prevent this type of wide spread smuggling and trafficking by organised crime gangs be it drugs, animals, vulnerable persons, firearms or anything else.”
If you will have any details about suspected animal smuggling or legal exercise, you possibly can contact police on 101, or submit a report on-line utilizing the non-emergency reporting kind by way of http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/
You may also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/
