 "Star of Mumbai customs drug unit, Dolly the labrador passes away")
The seven-year-old star of the Mumbai customs force, Dolly the labrador has passed away, leaving a huge gap in the units ability to sniff out drugs illegally transported through the city airport.
“She was not able to digest food. Even though we got her hospitalised, her condition deteriorated and she passed away on 27 March”, a customs official told the Mumbai Mirror newspaper. She had reportedly suffered from a kidney ailment.
The Mumbai Airport customs website lists Dolly as having detected seven drug cases as of December 2011.
According to the Mumbai Mirror story, Dolly’s biggest ever drug haul was in August 2012 when she intercepted 18kg of amphetamine worth over Rs 18 crore. She was also responsible for detecting over half the amount of intercepted drugs over the last five years, estimated to be worth around Rs 100 crore.
Two more labradors are reportedly being trained in Gwalior to take Dolly’s place.
Training for sniffer dogs begins at the age of just six months, and the training period lasts around 24 weeks.
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