Dogs Rescued From 'Brutal' Mexican Drug Cartel Now On LI, Need Homes

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Eight dogs arrived on the East End recently after threats of death from a Mexican drug cartel.

The Southampton Animal Shelter said they took in four of the dogs —two went to the Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton and two, to Bideawee in Westhampton Beach — who were saved from gang and drug cartel violence in an undisclosed location in Mexico.

"In March 2022, SASF was made aware of a frightening situation in Mexico; gang and drug cartel members were extorting a dog sanctuary, threatening to kill all 20 dogs there if the sanctuary did not accede to their demands for money," the SASF said.

In fear for the life of the 20 dogs, as well as his own life, the sanctuary director reached out to Bonnie Klapper, a former federal prosecutor familiar with cartels, who then contacted SASF's Executive Director Pat Deshong for help.

Deshong reached out to animal welfare groups that have expertise with large scale transport and assistance with shelters in crisis, the SASF said.

The evacuation was logistically difficult, involving obtaining health certificates for the dogs, leasing a cargo plane, obtaining export and import permits and finding a place for the dogs to go once they were in the United States, the SASF said.

A rescue group arranged for the transport and temporary housing for the dogs — and on March 19 all 20 dogs departed Mexico and were flown to a facility in Tennessee. Eight dogs arrived on the East End of Long Island, four arriving to Southampton’s shelter on Thursday, April 7 — Layla, Chaparro, Tito and Abu will be available to adopt soon.

“We could not let these dogs be victims of the brutal drug trade in Mexico,” said Deshong. “They needed saving and in keeping with our philosophy that every life matters we did not hesitate to help bring them home to the Hamptons. We are very grateful to our network of animal welfare advocates and organizations, as well as our supporters and donors for making this happen.”

John Di Leonardo, president of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, said Klapper, who will be inducted as a board member at LION's next meeting, is a former federal prosecutor who devoted 25 years to fighting Colombian, Mexican and Guatemalan drug cartels. She recently contacted Di Leonardo about a dog sanctuary in Mexico that was being "extorted by cartel members threatening to kill all 20 dogs at the sanctuary if they weren't paid. Needless to say, the sanctuary had to shut down and the dogs needed immediate evacuation," Di Leonardo said.

Di Leonardo said he put Klapper in touch with Deshong, and within three days, Deshong had organized a rescue and transport with the help of the a private foundation, which asked not to be identified, and Animal Rescue Corps.

"The dogs needed health certificates, the flight needed import and export permits and the dogs needed a place to go — so this was a major effort," he said. "After lots of last-minute drama, the cargo plane carrying the 20 dogs left the airport on Cancun on March 19. Logistical problems meant that the flight had to land in Fort Meyers, Florida."

Shelter staff from a local facility nearby immediately stepped up, met the plane, removed the dogs and brought them to the shelter for an overnight visit, Di Leondardo said. Early the next morning, all 20 dogs were back on the plane for their flight to a kennel in Tennessee run by Animal Rescue Corps.

"The dogs stayed there for several weeks, receiving proper vet care and resting up from their ordeal," he said.

On Friday, eight of the “cartel survivors” arrived on Long Island, he said.

Klapper said she was able to visit the dogs on Monday. "They're so sweet," she said.

Klapper, who worked in the federal prosecutor's office for 25 years, mostly in the eastern district of Long Island, said she retired about 10 years ago and worked as a criminal defense attorney.

Four years ago, she began slowly closing down her law practice and devoting time to animal rights, she said. "Dogs are my particular passion," Klapper said.

Klapper, who lives in Sag Harbor, said she'd spoken to a young woman who founded a farm animal sanctuary outside of Cancun. "It's an amazing place," Klapper said.

One day, the woman called Klapper asking for help with a small dog sanctuary. Cancun, Klapper said, has emerged as a "hotly contested cartel area," with once peaceful areas such as Tulum seeing "horrors. That entire area is not safe," she said.

Crime escalated when drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, who was sentenced to life behind bars in 2019, was incarcerated; his sons, known as "Los Chapitos" or "the little Chapos," are fighting for control of that area with other cartels and gangs, Klapper said.

"They don't just distribute drugs and weapons," Klapper said. "There's extortion. They say, 'Pay me money or I'll burn your business or kill your family,'" she said.

Some gang members stopped by the dog sanctuary and threatened the man who ran the facility. "They said, 'You either pay us or we're going to kill your dogs,'" Klapper said.

The woman Klapper knows put her in touch with the dog sanctuary's founder; she called four rescues, all of whom had the same response, she said: "They said, 'Sorry, we're busy; we're not interested,'" she said.

But all hope was not lost.

Klapper was put in touch with Deshong by Di Leonardo. "Before I could finish explaining, she answered: 'We've got to get those dogs out. I'm going to help you.' She was amazing."

Three days later, the plans were in place and a charter plane was booked. Still, the details were daunting. "It was quite a logistical nightmare," Klapper said.

Due to snafus with permitting, the dogs were brought to the airport and then, had to be brought back to the sanctuary, she said. "Those poor dogs," she said.

Eventually, the red tape issues were resolved and the dogs were able to board the plane and land in Fort Meyers, where Klapper also commended the volunteers who cared for the dogs overnight. The next day, they headed to the Tennessee facility, where they were able to rest before their journey to Long Island, Klapper said.

Of the rescue mission, Klapper said: "It was like Hillary Clinton who said, 'It takes a village.' This was a village. Passionate rescues all coming together and making a miracle. When I looked at those dogs today, I said, 'Look at you — you were almost dead in Mexico and now you're all going to homes on Long Island. What could be better?'"

The dogs, despite what they've endured, are still sweet and affectionate, she said.

For Klapper, the ability to help was deeply fulfilling. Throughout her career, she's been focused on finding justice, for the prosecution and for her clients. "Now, my real passion is finding justice for animals — and in this case, everyone pulled together."

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