A U.S. veterinarian accused of sewing heroin into puppies’ stomachs as part of a Colombian drug ring will be extradited to New York more than two years after his arrest.

Per Fox News, Andres Lopez Elorza, 38, was arrested in Spain in 2015 after U.S. authorities accused him of implanting liquid heroin into puppies’ stomachs so they could be flown into New York. Upon delivery, the drug would be cut out of their stomachs—killing them in the process.

According to the New York Post, Elorza’s arrest was in connection with a raid of a vet clinic he ran in Colombia. It was then that police reportedly located 6.6 pounds of heroin smuggled in three puppies.

WNBC reported that the Venezuelan native was part of a syndicate whose distribution network stretched from New York City to Miami

“Traffickers will go to great lengths. These guys are evil geniuses in ways to think and hide the drugs, secret them,” Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge James Hunt said. “This case was exceptionally heinous.”

Sources told the Post that Elorza arrived at JFK Airport on Monday afternoon and appeared in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday. A press release from the DEA confirmed that he was held on charges including conspiring to import and distribute heroin in the United States and will be detained until his trial. Reports indicated that he pleaded not guilty.

[Featured Image: Andres Lopez Elorza/Drug Enforcement Administration