Maine Border Patrol K9 Sniffs Out 40 Pounds of Marijuana From Illegal Grow Op

(U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

A Border Patrol K9 unit sniffed out 40 pounds’ worth of marijuana plants within seconds of being summoned to the site of a suspected illegal drug operation in Southeast Maine.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent became suspicious while patrolling on foot in Calais near the U.S.-Canada border on Sept. 5. The agent called for backup in order to confirm his hunch of a grow-op in the vicinity, a press release stated.

The agent had asked for a K9 unit that would be able to identify and locate the presence of the suspected marijuana. The dog arrived and conducted an “open-air sniff,” which reaped immediate results; the dog led the patrol to the exact site of the drug-growing operation.

Border Patrol seized marijuana plants with a total weight of 40 pounds.

(U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

A photo of the haul released to the public shows the dog posing triumphantly next to a huge bundle of the seized plants.

“As Border Patrol agents, we enforce federal drug laws, including marijuana,” James F. Trainor Jr., acting patrol agent in charge of the Calais Station, stated. “This was an excellent job done by our Calais agents and their K-9 partner.”

The marijuana had an estimated street value of $135,000.

According to the American Kennel Club, German shepherds, Belgian malinois, bloodhounds, Dutch shepherds, and Labrador retrievers are five preferred breeds of police dogs.

A dog’s sense of smell is 45 times more powerful than a human’s; canines have 225 million scent receptors in their noses compared to a human’s five million. As such, police dogs can be taught to detect various drugs, explosives, fire accelerants, and even electronic storage devices containing potentially criminal material.

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