Three service dogs for drug detection were provided to the Customs Agency by the US Drug Enforcement Agency. They were handed over on 24.06.2021 by representatives of DEA to the customs officers – guide dogs. The ceremony was attended by the head of the DEA office in Bulgaria, the director of the Customs Agency Pavel Tonev and the deputy director of the Customs Agency Rumen Danev. Pavel Tonev thanked the American partners for the cooperation at the operational level, in the training of customs officers, in the field of technical security, as well as the support in the initiative “You are not alone”, which informs teenagers about the dangers of drug use.
“The Anti-Drug Agency and the Customs Agency have established cooperation on many levels and this is not accidental, because we share common values,” said Pavel Tonev, adding that for the customs administration the fight against drug trafficking is a priority. He presented a plaque to the Customs Agency to the head of the DEA office for Bulgaria.
Two of the three dogs, who have already been trained at the specialized school of the Customs Agency, showed their skills during a demonstration. They found drugs hidden in luggage and a car in less than a minute. The third dog, who has not yet reached the appropriate age, is about to start a one-year training. The three new four-legged customs officers are of the Belgian Malinois breed and will be assigned to work on the territory of the Anti-Drug Trafficking Department – Southwest, at the border checkpoints of Sofia Airport, Kulata and Gueshevo. This breed has been preferred for the fight against drug trafficking in recent years by law enforcement agencies of the EU, USA, Canada, South America and Africa.
Source: Customs Agency
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