Austrian police seize 47 puppies in car at Hungarian border

BERLIN (AP) - Austrian police say they have seized 47 puppies found in a car at the Hungarian border. The driver was headed for France, where authorities suspect he planned to pass off the animals as French-born.

Police in Burgenland province say they found the puppies in the trunk and back seat of the 33-year-old Romanian's car during a routine check on Wednesday. They did not disclose the breed of the dogs.

They said the driver handed officers 24 European Union pet passports, which turned out to contain forged data. A vet determined that the puppies, which were about six weeks old, hadn't been microchipped.

Officials suspect the Romanian puppies were to be microchipped in France, so that they could be sold as French animals for a higher price. Austrian authorities turned the driver back to Hungary.