SYDNEY // Australia’s “war on terrier” with Johnny Depp has taken another turn.
Authorities said on Thursday the Hollywood star’s wife has been charged with illegally bringing their two dogs into the country.
His wife, actress-model Amber Heard, was charged this week with two counts of illegally importing Pistol and Boo, the couple’s terriers, into Australia and one count of producing a false document, the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions said on Thursday.
The department of agriculture, which is responsible for biosecurity said she allegedly breaching quarantine laws.
Reports said the case was due to be heard in September in a Queensland state court, though it is not known whether Heard will appear in person.
Penalties for contravening the Quarantine Act range from fines to a maximum of 10 years in prison for the worst cases.
The terriers created a media storm earlier this year when they were discovered in Queensland, where Depp is filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, seemingly having bypassed the usual conditions for animals brought into Australia.
The dogs’ presence in Australia only came to light when they were taken to a grooming salon.
Dogs are subject to strict controls for biosecurity reasons, with a permit mandatory and a minimum 10-day stay in a quarantine facility on arrival required.
Agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce threatened in May to have the animals put down unless they were removed.
Pistol and Boo returned to the United States in the days after their discovery in late May. Speaking to Australian media later, Heard indicated an unwillingness to return to the country.
“I have a feeling we are going to avoid the land Down Under from now on just as much as we can thanks to certain politicians there,” she told Australia’s Channel Seven in an apparent reference to Mr Joyce.
* Agence France-Presse, with additional reporting from Associated Press
