A sniffer dog managed to lead police to 13 kilograms of cocaine worth £1.2 million - and it was found stuffed in the leather upholstery of a motorised wheelchair.
The shocking discovery was made at Malpensa airport in Milan, Italy, this week as the specialised canine unit was deployed to check arriving passengers and their luggage from a flight from the Dominican Republic.
This is due to drug couriers having used that route frequently in the past, the Guardia di Finanza said in a statement.
The sniffer dog drew officers' attention to a passenger in a wheelchair, but when his luggage was searched, nothing was found.
This is when officers drew their attention to his motorised wheelchair, resulting in the Spanish native to get up from his chair and walk without assistance.
Un’unità cinofila della #GDF di #Varese individua un passeggero, che fingendosi disabile sulla sedia a rotelle, trasportava 13 Kg di cocaina.#NoiconVoi pic.twitter.com/EBGrHuJtXu
— Guardia di Finanza (@GDF) September 2, 2022
When they slashed into the leather upholstery, the dog's indication proved to be accurate.
Police confirmed that 11 packets of cocaine, weighing a total of 13.35 kilograms and holding a street value of £1.2 million, were discovered stuffed within the chair.
The statement concluded that the passenger was brought to a local jail where judicial authorities upheld his detention pending investigation of the case.
Sniffer dogs are known for being incredibly accurate at detecting illegal substances concealed in even the most intricate of ways - meaning they certainly aren't favoured by drug gangs and cartels.
This news comes after the Colombian Cartel put a $70,000 hit on a female sniffer dog who managed to uncover 10 tonnes of cocaine back in 2018.
After her discovery, the six-year-old German shepherd - named Sombra - appeared in a video clip on Colombian newspaper El Tiempo‘s website, resulting in a wave of praise and admiration from the public.
However, this didn't go down too well with the Urabeños - one of the most infamous cartels in Colombia - who swiftly ordered a 200 million pesos ($70,000) bounty to end Sombra's life.
A pesar de tener 6 añitos, a la agente sombra le sobra vitalidad 🐶 ha sido reconocida porque protege la vida de los niños, niñas y adolescentes del veneno mortal de las drogas. Todos la quieren y puedes tomarte tu selfie en el aeropuerto @BOG_ELDORADO. Guao 🐶 pic.twitter.com/BTbeGXeUSx
— Policía Antinarcóticos (@PoliciaAntiNar) July 24, 2018
Authorities said of the bounty in a statement: "The fact they want to hurt Sombra and offer such a high reward for her capture or death shows the impact she’s had on their profits."
The hard-working dog was moved to Bogota’s El Dorado airport over fears for her safety but thankfully, it appears as if the cartel's bounty was unsuccessful.
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