Johnny Depp pokes fun at Australia about THAT episode with his beloved pets

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Johnny Depp's two terriers were illegally smuggled into Australia in May
It sparked an international incident and pets were deported back to U.S.
Actor has seen funny side, joking that he 'killed his dogs and ate them'
He said he was acting under orders from a 'big-gutted man from Australia'

Published: 00:45 EST, 5 September 2015 | Updated: 02:22 EST, 5 September 2015

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He sparked an international incident when it emerged that his beloved dogs Boo and Pistol had been illegally smuggled into Australia on his private jet.

But it appears that Johnny Depp has seen the funny side of the public debate about his Yorkshire terriers as he joked that he had 'killed his dogs and ate them' after they were deported.

Speaking at a press conference for his new film Black Mass, the 52-year-old actor suggested that he acted 'under direct orders from some kind of sweaty big-gutted man from Australia'.

This is likely to be a reference to Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, who said that Depp's dogs should 'b***** off back to the United States' or risk being put down.

Johnny Depp joked that he had 'killed his dogs and ate them' during a press conference for his new film Black Mass

At the start of the interview, Depp said he had changed his name to Dakota Fanning before pointing out that the bottle he was swigging from was non-alcoholic.

He made the dark joke about his pets after being asked whether he planned on taking his dogs on a 'gondola ride' while in Venice for the film festival.

His dogs became embroiled in a media storm in May when they were discovered in Queensland, after seemingly having bypassed the usual conditions for animals brought into Australia.

The dogs' presence in Australia only came to light when they were photographed at a grooming salon.

Depp's wife Amber Heard has been charged with illegally smuggling the two pets into Australia.

The 29-year-old actress faces two counts of illegally importing the terriers into the country on a private jet and one count of producing a false document, it was revealed in July.

The actor sparked an international incident when it emerged that his beloved dogs Boo and Pistol had been illegally smuggled into Australia on his private jet

Depp's wife Amber Heard (pictured together) has been charged with illegally smuggling the two pets into Australia

She could face more than ten years in prison if Australian authorities decide to inflict the maximum penalty.

But Depp has not been charged despite the dogs reportedly travelling into Bisbane on his plane in April when he was working on the latest instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

His wife has been issued with a summons to appear in a Queensland court on Monday, although it's not yet known whether she will attend in person.

The couple, who were staying at a rented home in the Gold Coast, were issued a strict warning demanding they remove their terriers from the country within 50 hours or risk having them put down.

Depp made the dark joke at the press conference for his new film Black Mass, which is receiving its world premiere at the Venice film festival (pictured)

Amber was seen carrying her pet Yorkshire Terrier in her arms at LAX in October last year

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce defended the government's strong stance against Depp's dogs, saying: 'We bent over backwards to get their monkeys in... so they know what the deal is'

'We bent over backwards to get their monkeys in – it was only just recently they had to get monkeys in [for their set] and we had to try and do everything in our power [to get them in],' Mr Joyce told Channel 10.

'So they know what the deal is, and that's why we're a bit miffed by them.'

Pistol and Boo returned to the United States days after their discovery in late May, with Amber later indicating an unwillingness to return to the country.

'I have a feeling we are going to avoid the land Down Under from now on just as much as we can thanks to certain politicians there,' she told Australia's Channel Seven in an apparent reference to Joyce.

'I guess everyone tries to go for their 15 minutes (of fame), including some government officials.'

Nine News filmed Boo and Pistol under quarantine in the film star's Queensland home

Mr Joyce indicated that Depp had intentionally ignored Australian laws, which require animals being brought into the country to be declared.

He said: 'When these corporate jets come in they are supposed to sign a manifest of what is on the plane, what people are on the plane and certainly if they're carrying any dogs.

'I don't know where he had them - in the Louis Vuitton bag,' he jested, adding 'but anyway they've wondered through with them and they probably think that it's fair enough and that they're above the law, but they're not.

'All animals entering Australia must have an import permit, and have undergone relevant testing and health checks signed off by a government veterinarian from the exporting country to ensure pests and diseases from overseas are not brought here,' a Department of Agriculture spokeswoman confirmed said in a statement.