Customs Division boosts drug detection program

In a move to curtail, if not eliminate, the trafficking of illegal drugs in the CNMI, the Division of Customs has recently acquired two Labradors from Australia to assist in drug detection in various ports of entry.

The Customs Division has also sought the assistance of Australian Customs Service in the certification, training and maintenance of Labradors under the Australian Customs Service Detect the Dog Program.

The dogs are trained to detect cannabis, heroin and cocaine. Since the use of methamphetamine hydrochloride or ‘ice’ is rampant on the island, the dogs will be trained to search for this type of substance.

Despite the invention of new technology and additional trained manpower to detect the entry of these illegal drugs on the island, dogs are still considered one of the best weapons in assisting Customs Service. “These dogs are not perfect, but neither are humans. They search quicker, they facilitate the work in the program,” said
Rod Daniels, chief instructor of the Detector Dog Training Centre.

An Australian-bred Labrador has a life span of six to eight years and costs 2,000 Australian dollars.

Currently, the CNMI has two trained dog handlers and one supervisor — all trained in Australia as part of the CNMI’s K-9 Program funded through a federal grant. Mr. Daniels first arrived here in 1998 to help evaluate the government’s K-9 Program.

According to Jose C. Mafnas, Director of Customs, his office is targeting eight staff to be trained in Saipan and one each in Tinian and Rota.

There is a high demand for training of customs personnel from different customs offices all over the world by Australia because of its intensive dog detection program. Aside from the CNMI, Australia has helped the United States, United Kingdom, Papua New Guinea, Japan and Singapore.

In recognition of Australia’s expertise, some countries have sought its help in training dogs for detection of explosives aside from drug detection.

“We have had a lot of success in the last three years and we’ve worked very hard in the program. We are the only agency in the world that has attack breeding and deployment of drug dogs on a scientific basis,” said Mr. Daniels.

In the last 10 years, many customs offices from various countries which have the program’s ability to detect significant amount of narcotics, have improved quite significantly, he added.