AceShowbiz -

Johnny Depp was threatened with jail time after he was caught illegally bringing his two pet dogs Pistol and Boo into Australia. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor could be sentenced to more than 10 years of imprisonment if he was found guilty.

Johnny made headlines earlier this month when he broke the country's strict quarantine law. He was said to sneak the canines on his private jet without declaring their presence. The country's government found out about the dogs when they saw Johnny taking them to a poodle groomer.

Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce later asked Johnny to send the puppies away from the country within two days. If the actor failed to follow the order, Barnaby threatened to euthanize the dogs.

After Johnny sent his pet dogs back to the United States, things however are getting even more dramatic. An Australian Senate committee was told on Monday, May 25 that if the problem was taken to court and Johnny was found guilty of breaking the country's biosecurity laws, he could face year-long imprisonment or a maximum fine of $340,000.

Australian's cops now are investigating the case to find out the exact method Johnny used to smuggle the dogs. Due to the matter, Johnny unintentionally became the face of a campaign warning the world not to breach Australia's strict biosecurity regime.

"[There are] a lot of people who are much more informed of our biosecurity regime internationally as a result of this event," Richard Colbeck, parliamentary secretary to Barnaby, said at a hearing. "It's been a pretty good advertisement for our system."