Yorkshire Terrier
(IN PHOTO) An owner holds her Yorkshire Terrier during the "York-Show 2007" dog show in Moscow, March 3, 2007. Reuters

The two Yorkshire Terriers of American actor Johnny Depp may have escaped the death penalty when Depp met the deadline by a few hours to ship his pet dogs, but the actor’s problems with Canberra are not over yet. The Pirates of the Caribbean star could face 10 years prison term for breaching Australia’s quarantine law.

Australian government officials met on Monday and confirmed that Depp - who is in Australia for the filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean series - could be jailed for 10 years or fined a hefty AU$340,000 for bringing to Australia Pistol and Boo aboard his private plane, in the process, skipping the mandated quarantine process. Depp’s pilot could also be jailed for two years if the matter goes to court, reports Mashable.

After images of the two dogs going to a pet grooming shop came out, Australian Agricultural Minister Barnaby Joyce gave Depp 50 hours to ship the terriers out of the country, or he would have the animals culled for being threats to Australia’s flora and fauna because it didn’t undergo the mandated quarantine.

Dogs that are brought to Australia must stay at least 10 days in a government quarantine facility upon arrivals in the country, according to Australia’s strict animal import regulations. The aim of the law it to stop the spread of animal-borne diseases such as rabies, ehrlichia, leishmania, leptospirosis and parasites that are not native to Australia.

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