The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Now, canines to detect drug trafficking

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Now, canines to detect drug trafficking

Special Correspondent

Mumbai, New Delhi have a total of seven dogs
“Sniffer dogs act as deterrent for anti-socials”

CHENNAI: Customs officials at the Chennai airport have proposed to get in two sniffer dogs to detect cases pertaining to drug trafficking.

In the last four months, authorities seized nearly 76 kg of Ketamine Hydrochloride and arrested nine persons, who attempted to smuggle the drug through the Chennai airport to Southeast Asian destinations.

Customs and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence authorities also seized eight kg of heroin from two foreign nationals last week.

C. Rajan, Commissioner of Customs (Airport), said the Mumbai and New Delhi airports had a total of seven sniffer dogs.

The Mumbai Customs authorities had four for the airport and one for the courier terminal. In New Delhi, the authorities had two sniffer dogs. “We have written a letter to the Commissioner, Directorate of Logistics, New Delhi, functioning under the Ministry of Finance, to provide two sniffer dogs for the Chennai airport to bring down the smuggling of Ketamine Hydrochloride and other drugs,” he said.

One of the canines would be used for the airport while the other would be utilised in the air cargo complex and courier terminal. At the airport, the dogs would be mainly used for detecting drugs being smuggled by bypassing security check, he said.

The Customs authorities at Mumbai purchased the canines from Hyderabad and they trained at Gwalior. The canines at the New Delhi airport were trained by Border Security Force personnel, Customs authorities said. These canines were specialists in identifying explosives, they added.

“Sniffer dogs at the airport or railway stations always act as a deterrent for anti-socials. The Customs wants to send the message loud and clear to the smugglers that they should stop operations from Chennai,” Mr Rajan added.

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