Assemblyman Joe Giglio (R,C,I-Gowanda) has joined his fellow Assembly members in support of “Buster’s Bill II.” The legislation would make using an animal in a criminal matter a felony punishable by up to two years in prison.

The bill is in response to a recent crime in which South American drug smugglers cut open the stomachs of puppies and filled them with narcotics to smuggle to New York City.

In 1998, Assembly Minority Leader James N. Tedisco (R,C,I – Schenectady, Saratoga) authored the original “Buster’s Bill”. It created the category of “aggravated cruelty to animals.” Previously, animal cruelty was only considered a misdemeanor.

“It truly disturbs me that there are people capable of harming helpless animals in such a cruel way,” said Giglio. “I would like to see them receive the maximum punishment so that they can pay for their crimes. The animals can not speak for themselves, so we need to take action for them.”