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Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Apologize for Smuggling Dogs into Australia

MAY 9, 2016 UPDATE: Johnny Depp apparently didn’t take the video apology too seriously. At a press conference in London yesterday promoting his new move, “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” Depp made fun of it.

As his co-stars laughed off-camera, Depp said, very dramatically, “I’m going to do this everywhere I go: I would really like to apologize for not smuggling my dogs into England, because it would have been a bad thing to do.”

A video of the press conference posted by Reuters on YouTube has 137 thumbs down and only 51 thumbs up as of Monday morning. Here’s hoping it gets hundreds more thumbs-down.

In May 2015, Johnny Depp, who was in Australia filming another sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and his wife, actress Amber Heard, thought they could get around Australia’s pet quarantine laws by flying their Yorkies into the country on a private jet and hiding them in a handbag at the airport.

But the contraband canines, Boo and Pistol, were discovered not long after they arrived when an assistant took them to a groomer, who posted their photos on social media.

Like many countries (and Hawaii), Australia has strict quarantine laws for imported pets in order to prevent the spread of diseases like rabies. People traveling with their dogs must first apply for a permit. The length of the quarantine period varies; in Australia, it’s a minimum of 10 days.

When Australia’s Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce announced that Boo and Pearl would both be euthanized if they weren’t “buggered off back to the U.S.,” as he put it, it drew international ire, launching the social media campaign #WarOnTerrier.

Heard flew back to California with Boo and Pistol on the private jet.

Two months later, the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions announced it was charging Heard with two counts of illegally importing dogs into Australia and one count of producing a false document

Heard faced up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $75,000 fine for the illegal importation charge, and up to a year in prison and a maximum $8,000 fine for the false document charge.

But those charges were dropped yesterday when Heard pleaded guilty to making a false statement to Australia immigration regarding the dogs, BBC News reports. Depp accompanied his wife to Southport Magistrate’s Court in Queensland, but was excused from providing evidence after his wife’s guilty plea.

The judge gave Heard a one-month good behavior bond. Should she break the bond, she must pay $770.

A very stoic Heard and Depp also appeared in a video, made public by the Australia Dept. of Agriculture, in which they apologize for smuggling their dogs into the country. The AFP news agency dubbed it “an awkward finale” to the case.

“Australia is free of many pests and diseases that are commonplace around the world,” Heard says in the video. “That is why Australia has to have such strong biosecurity laws.”

Depp adds, “And Australians are just as unique — both warm and direct. When you disrespect Australian law, they will tell you firmly.”

Amber Heard, Not Johnny Depp, Charged with Smuggling Dogs into Australia

APRIL 17, 2016 UPDATE: The dog smuggling charges against Amber Heard were dropped today.

Back in May, Johnny Depp, who was filming another sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean” on the Gold Coast, apparently thought he and his wife, actress Amber Heard, could get around Australia’s pet quarantine laws by flying their Yorkies into the country on a private jet and hiding them in a handbag at the airport.

But the contraband canines, Boo and Pistol, were discovered not long after they arrived. An assistant took them to a groomer, who posted their photos on social media.

When Australia’s Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce announced that Boo and Pearl would both be euthanized if they weren’t “buggered off back to the U.S.,” as he put it, it drew international ire. The social media campaign #WarOnTerrier was launched. More than 22,000 people signed a Change.org petition urging Joyce to spare the dogs’ lives.

On May 15, Heard flew back to California with Boo and Pistol on the private jet.

During a senate hearing 10 days later at the Parliament House in Canberra, government officials decided that if the case went to court, Depp could face up to 10 years in prison or a maximum fine of $250,000 (USD). The pilot of his private jet could also face up to two years in prison for not declaring the dogs.

“I have a feeling we’re going to avoid the land down under from now on, just as much as we can, thanks to certain politicians there,” Heard told Sunrise during a press junket in June for her movie, “Magic Mike XXL.”

“I guess everyone tries to go for their 15 minutes (of fame) … including some government officials.”

Interestingly, it turns out it’s not Depp who will be facing charges — it’s Heard. The Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions announced yesterday it was charging Heard with two counts of illegally importing dogs into Australia and one count of producing a false document.

According to The Australian, Heard is facing up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $75,000 (USD) fine for the illegal importation charge, and up to a year in prison and a maximum $8,000 (USD) fine for the false document charge.

Joyce insists the charges against Heard are not “mean.”

“The law is the same for everybody. There is no preferential treatment here,” he told The Australian yesterday. “You come into our nation, you have to abide (by) biosecurity protocols.”

Joyce said the possibility of a rabies outbreak would be catastrophic to Australia. “It’s not just the people on the streets that would be affected,” he said. “If that got out into the general wild dog population in Australia, which is massive, it would have devastating effects.”

Heard, who has not yet commented on the charges, was summoned to appear in a Queensland court Sept. 7.

Photo credit: GabboT

Johnny Depp Could Spend 10 Years in Jail for Smuggling Dogs into Australia

APRIL 17, 2016 UPDATE: The dog smuggling charges against Johnny Depp’s wife, Amber Heard, were dropped today.

It was pretty harsh when Australia’s Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce announced that the two Yorkshire Terriers Johnny Depp sneaked into the country earlier this month would be euthanized if they weren’t “buggered off back to the U.S.,” as Joyce put it.

Depp, who is filming another sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean” on the Gold Coast, apparently thought he could get around Australia’s pet quarantine laws last month by flying his Yorkies, Boo and Pistol, into the country and hiding them in a handbag at the airport.

The contraband canines were discovered when an assistant took them to a groomer, who posted their photos on social media.

Joyce’s threat to have Boo and Pistol killed made international headlines and sparked the social media campaign #WarOnTerrier. Nearly 22,000 people signed a Change.org petition urging the agriculture minister to spare the dogs’ lives.

On May 15, Depp’s wife, Amber Heard, flew back to California with Boo and Pistol on the private jet.

But Depp may still have to pay a harsh price (besides the cost of all that expensive jet fuel) for trying to sidestep Australia’s quarantine laws.

During a senate hearing yesterday at the Parliament House in Canberra, government officials decided that if the case goes to court, the actor could face up to 10 years in prison or a maximum fine of $340,000, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The pilot of his private jet is also facing up to two years in prison for not declaring the dogs.

“The dog thing — we’ll get that out of the way quickly,” said a member of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee at the beginning of the meeting, according to the Herald.

Last night, Depp and Heard flew back to California (yep, on their private jet) to celebrate the 16th birthday of Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose, the Brisbane Times reports.

Neither Depp or Heard has publicly commented on the case.

Photo via Twitter

Two Yorkies Johnny Depp Smuggled into Australia Must ‘Bugger Off’ or Else

APRIL 17, 2016 UPDATE: The dog smuggling charges against Johnny Depp’s wife, Amber Heard, were dropped today.

Apparently Johnny Depp thought he could get around Australia’s pet quarantine laws last month by smuggling his Yorkshire Terriers, Boo and Pistol, into the country on his private jet.

Wrong.

Yesterday the Agriculture Department gave Depp and his wife, Amber Heard, 72 hours to get Boo and Pistol out of Australia. If they do not comply, both dogs will be euthanized.

“If you start letting movie stars — even though they’ve been the sexiest man alive twice — to come into our nation (with pets), then why don’t we just break laws for everybody?” Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce told the Associated Press (AP).

“It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the U.S.”

Like many countries (and Hawaii here in the U.S.), Australia has strict quarantine laws for imported pets. The purpose is to prevent the spread of diseases like rabies. People traveling with their dogs to these countries must first apply for a permit. The length of the quarantine period varies; in Australia, it’s a minimum of 10 days.

“The reason you can walk through a park in Brisbane and not have in the back of your mind, ‘What happens if a rabid dog comes out and bites me or bites my kid?’ is because we’ve kept that disease out,” Joyce told ABC 612 Brisbane. “I’ll tell you how close it is: it’s in Bali, it’s just next door. So this is not fanciful stuff, and therefore we’re very diligent about what comes into our nation.”

Pistol and Boo were first seen in public Saturday, when one of Depp’s assistants brought them in a handbag to a groomer in Brisbane. On Tuesday, Joyce said a biosecurity officer found the dogs staying in a house on the Gold Coast, where Depp is filming another sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Pistol and Boo are currently being quarantined at home, according to Brett Chant, a spokesman for Joyce.

Chant told the AP that the Agriculture Department is investigating how the dogs managed to arrive at Brisbane Airport last month without going through customs.

Joyce’s threat is making worldwide headlines and has sparked the social media campaign #WarOnTerrier, where people are expressing their outrage that Pistol and Boo may be killed. A Change.org petition urging the agriculture minister to spare the dogs’ lives had more than 12,000 signatures as of Thursday morning.

There’s also some outrage that Depp apparently thought he was above the law.

“Can we just put him down and keep the dogs maybe?” wrote one Twitter user.

In Parliament this week, Joel Fitzgibbon, a spokesman for the opposition Labor Party, asked if Depp was able to smuggle in his dogs because of cuts to the Agriculture Department’s quarantine funding.

Fitzgibbon said Joyce was “bashing up on poor old Boo Boo and Pistol and, indeed, Johnny Depp,” according to the AP.

Depp has not yet commented on what he plans to do.

Photo via Twitter