Aussie agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce took exception to Depp and Amber Heard bringing their Yorkshire terriers into the country, where the actor was shooting the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film in May (15), without the proper permits, and gave the couple 48 hours to leave or their pets would be put down.

Appearing on U.S. show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday (10Sep15), Depp insisted he and his wife were left stunned when Joyce held a press conference and threatened to kill the animals.

The movie star joked, "This sort of weird, sweaty-pated, gut-man who decided that two five (or) six-inch tea-cup Yorkshire terriers would harm the country in some way, he's got a point, especially when you consider that Australia has the most poisonous creatures on Earth... Everything will kill you within minutes."

But Joyce is still taking the matter seriously, and Heard, 29, has been accused of violating Australia's biosecurity laws by allegedly bringing the dogs, Pistol and Boo, into the country via private jet without official documentation. If found guilty, she faces a hefty fine and up to 10 years in prison.

Depp insists he'll take drastic action if his wife is sentenced to any jail time, adding, "If they did that I'd just fly to Australia and assault that man, so that I could go to jail (too)."

Depp started the interview in a racy manner by grabbing host Kimmel for a full-on kiss as he entered the studio set.