The drug-tracking dog Jökull of the police in Akureyri, north Iceland, played a large part in the uncovering of approximately 70 grams of strong illegal substances in a local home on Wednesday, in addition to a large amount of prescription medicine.
The photo is not related to the story. By Páll Stefánsson.
Jökull, a young black Labrador, is among seven puppies born last year after the pairing of Ella, the drug-tracking dog of the Sudurnes police and Nelson, which is used for drug sniffing by customs control. All their puppies have proven very efficient in the police’s fight against the distribution and sale of drugs, Fréttabladid reports.
Around noon on Wednesday the police in Akureyri raided an apartment belonging to a man in his thirties on suspicion of him being in possession of illegal substances.
Thirty grams of amphetamines and a few grams of cannabis were found as well as 40 grams of ecstasy pill powder, which the man had hidden in his amplifiers. Jökull assisted the police officers and found the hidden ecstasy.
“One could say that the people who thrive on the sale and distribution of drugs are now threatened by these young dogs,” commented Steinar Gunnarsson, the chief dog trainer at the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police, who has just returned from the UK where he trained track dogs.
“Our young dogs are no less qualified than the dogs over there,” he added. The young police dogs will take their final exam at the Police Academy in February.
Gunnarsson said next year it is planned to pair another couple of drug-tracking dogs because some of Iceland’s police departments are still in need of a four-legged recruit. Millions of ISK can be saved if good police dogs can be bred in Iceland.
Click here to read more about Icelandic police dogs.
ESA
