Sniffer dog helps net drugs haul
Tuesday November 03 2009
A sniffer dog called Alfie has nosed out a hoard of drugs worth more than 50,000 euro being smuggled into Ireland.
The canine detective - who patrols Waterford and Wexford with his kennel-mate Dillon - led his handlers to 4.64 kilos of herbal cannabis at Rosslare harbour.
The drugs, with an estimated street value of 55,680 euro, were hidden in eight packages stashed away in a car disembarking the ferry from France.
A 30-year-old Polish man was arrested and handed over to Garda in Wexford.
The seizure was the latest success for Alfie, the five-year-old springer spaniel who has been working with the Customs since 2007.
In September, he sniffed out herbal cannabis with a street value of 20,000 euro, also hidden in a car coming off the ferry at Rosslare.
Alfie is one of 11 drug detection dogs patrolling the country's airports and harbours, with Shadow in Shannon, Thatcher, Toby and Buster at Dublin airport, Max and Jet in Cork, Lulu and Chip at Dublin port and Mickey in Sligo, the Border region and Midlands.
His partner at Rosslare, Dillon, has seized 19 million euro worth of drugs, which led to him being named Person of the Month by listeners to local radio station South East Radio.
Press Association
