Customs dog refuses to approach truck; agents reveal major crime hidden in dog food

French authorities were able to thwart a major drug trafficking attempt thanks to the odd behavior of their canine companion trained to detect tobacco and money being smuggled in vehicles. Early in the morning on 30 June a truck bound for Croatia from Spain was stopped by customs officials on the A8 highway near the Capitou toll plaza in Fréjus, about 60 miles from the border with Italy.

The driver of the Slovenian-registered vehicle provided documents that his cargo was dog food which was covered by a tarp. The customs agents were already suspicious but when their dog refused to go close to the truck they decided to do a thorough investigation.

Sharp sensed dog helps in major drug bust

According to the Huffington Post, the customs agents found among the pallets several duffle bags and three cardboard boxes. Inside the boxes they discovered loaves wrapped in plastic with cocaine hidden within. In total they seized almost 280 pounds (127 kilos) of the drug.

The driver was turned over to the judicial police in Toulon and his case was heard just two days later. He received a five-year prison sentence and will be permanently banned from returning to France. The individual will also be fined almost $9.8 million (€8.38 million).

Drug seizures on the rise in France, Capitou toll plaza becoming a hotspot

French authorities have been seizing ever greater quantities of drugs more than doubling year-on-year. Last year they intercepted 53 tons of cocaine compared to 23 tons in all of 2023. Ten tons of cocaine were seized in March at the port in Dunkirk.

This is not the first major win for French authorities’ anti-drug operations at the Capitou toll area. In March, another roadside check by the customs brigade turned up €100,000 hidden inside socks. The stacks of small-denomination bills were believed to be linked to drug trafficking.

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