The drug-mule dogs: Poor animals forced to swallow bags of cocaine by gangs who then slice them open and leave them for dead

Dogs are sliced open to retrieve the wraps of drugs from their bodies

Large dogs used such as Great Danes, Labradors and Mastiffs

Gang is suspected of killing about 50 dogs

Swallowed the bags containing 2.8 pounds of cocaine

An international drug trafficking ring forced dogs to swallow bags of cocaine and then brutally sliced the animals open to retrieve them.



Police said they arrested 75 people across northern Italy and Rome for using the dogs in a drug scam - at least 50 were died after being cut open.



Large breeds such as Great Danes, Labradors and Mastiffs were used by the gang to maximise their trafficking.



Lucky one: One of the dogs used for drug trafficking lies in a basket after being seized by authorities

Recovery: A vet holds wraps of drugs recovered from the body of a dog used as a drug's mule. Dogs are being forced to ingest bags of cocaine and then later sliced open to retrieve the wraps from their bodies

The dogs were forced to swallow the bags containing 2.8 pounds of cocaine, the Italian news agency ANSA reported,



When the gang wanted to retrieve the drugs they sliced open the dogs and pulled out the bags. It is unclear how the animals were made to swallow such big bundles of cocaine.



The suspects are part of a gang with links to South American drug cartels.

Ill-gotten gains: The drugs covered in protective cling film which have been recovered by police in Italy

Brutal: An X-ray shows the contents of the dog's stomach with the wraps of drugs inside Retrieved: A haul of illegal substances recovered by authorities in Milan

Brutal: One of the dogs that was killed after being used to move cocaine around The suspects could face charges of criminal association, drug trafficking and illegal weapon possession, ANSA said. Human mules often swallow carefully wrapped packages of drugs or stuff them in to body cavities to keep them hidden as they smuggle them through airport security and across borders.

But if plastic pellets or condoms housing valuable consignments of Class A drugs burst in transit, the mules face an agonising death. This is not the first case of dogs being used as drugs mules - a few years ago a four-year-old sheepdog was flown from Colombia to New York City with cocaine sewn into its belly.

Customs agents said the sheepdog had 10 cocaine-filled condoms sewn into its stomach as a way of smuggling the drug into the U.S.

Suspicious agents ordered X-rays afrer notcing the sickly condition of the dog. They then spotted the condoms, which apparently had caused an infection that kept the dog from eating. In 2008 a graphic TV advert showing a fictional dog being used as a drugs mule forms part of a £1million government campaign against cocaine use. Weapons: Other items recovered by police include a knife and a handgun Charges: The suspects could face charges of criminal association, drug trafficking and illegal weapon possession, ANSA said Claims: The gang is suspected of killing about 50 dogs to smuggle drugs Its aim was to warn teenagers about the dangers of using the drug.

In one advert a person can be seen placing his hands inside the ripped open stomach of fictional dog Pablo as he fishes around for drugs.

Various parts of the the dog's intestines appear to be pulled out before two packets of cocaine are found. In a shocking twist the ad finishes with the dog looking up at the camera.



