A Purfleet puppy smuggler has been fined £4,600 for smuggling six puppies into the UK.

Barbara Marzec, 43, pleaded guilty at Basildon Crown Court last Friday, where Judge HHJ Black ordered her to be fined £1,000 and pay costs of £3,500, plus a £100 surcharge.

Thurrock Council was tipped off to the smuggling by a member of the public after a vet raised concerns over his new Labrador puppy’s passport.

After tracing the puppy back to Marzac, council officers raided her home to find three other puppies.

A fifth puppy was also traced by a vet in London who had also raised the alarm over the dog’s age.

All five puppies have been placed into quarantine due to fears of rabies. The sixth puppy from the litter has not yet been traced, despite a wide search.

The case cost the two new puppy owners £800 in quarantine fees, and the council £3,000 in quarantine and vets’ fees.

Thurrock Council’s portfolio holder for public protection, Councillor Jane Pothecary, said on Friday: “We are all aware of the dangers of smuggling animals into the country. Rabies is a dreadful disease and Britain’s quarantine laws are there to keep it out.

“People buying puppies should always make sure the breeder is well-established, the animals’ veterinarian histories are available, and their documentation correct and complete.”

Puppies imported to the UK must be micro-chipped, vaccinated against rabies and have an EU pet passport.

The council has also warned that if an imported puppy appears to be younger than 15 weeks, it is likely to have been imported illegally.