Nose for trouble: How 5 Labrador siblings sniff out country’s narcotics trail at airports

The Labrador is one of five siblings trained by the customs department as detector dogs, and employed across the country in customs formations

PUNE: When Ovi stopped by a wheeled luggage at Pune airport in August 2026 and signalled her handler, customs officials knew she had sniffed trouble. Inside the luggage’s specially created compartment was 3.028 kg hydroponic cannabis worth around ₹1.8 crore. The packets were vacuum-sealed and carefully stashed in the luggage, which had arrived from Bangkok, purportedly to prevent the odour from escaping. But it did not elude Ovi’s olfactory receptors.

Nose for trouble: How 5 Labrador siblings sniff out country’s narcotics trail at airports

The Labrador is one of five siblings trained by the customs department as detector dogs, and employed across the country in customs formations.

Born in December 2020 near the Attari border, Punjab, to Coco – also a detector dog -- the five have since been separated by many miles but continue to share a curious connection whenever they meet during refresher training.

Ovi and Orly are the two females of the pack, while Ora, Opal and Oreo are male. Ovi is posted with Pune Customs, while her siblings are serving at different locations, including Trichy, Chennai and New Delhi.

The five pups were brought from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Alwar, Rajasthan, and trained at the Customs K9 Training Centre near the Attari-Wagah border.

Trained for the kill

The pups went through eight months of specialised training in narcotics detection. While each performed well, Ovi emerged the batch topper, said Rao. Post-training, they were assigned to different Customs commissionerates.

They can recognise specific target odours and alert their handlers on detection. While their primary target is narcotics, the Customs K-9 teams also assist in detecting gold and material linked to wildlife smuggling, including animal skins and other wildlife-derived products.

As operating in crowded airports is a challenge due to a chaotic mix of aircraft noise, heavy baggage movement and sensory overload from competing odours, the dogs have to remain focused through such distractions and identify a target odour even when smugglers attempt to conceal material in sealed packets, baggage or specially constructed compartments. Rao said the five siblings have settled into their respective postings and contributed to detection efforts in different parts of the country.

“Each is an asset having contributed to detection. They have been trained specifically to identify narcotics and are deployed according to the requirements of their respective commissionerates,” said Rao.

Ovi’s journey from a trainee to an operational K-9 officer has been evident at Pune airport. She was brought into the Pune K-9 team after Sam, a Customs sniffer dog who had served at the airport for nine years, retired in 2022. Since her deployment, Ovi has been assigned to international flight operations, including arrivals from Bangkok. Last month’s detection, said her handler Sunil Kamble, “was the result of continuous training and the understanding developed between the animal and its handler”.

“She is extremely alert – once she get a particular scent, she remains focussed on that area and does not get distracted easily,” Kamble said, adding regular exercise and training are necessary to keep the dogs up to speed.

“We get an early start every morning. I take her for a jog before conducting exercises. She needs to remain active because her physical fitness has a direct bearing on her performance during duty,” he said. Her diet is also monitored – she is given meats and curd in the summers. The quantity is monitored to prevent overfeeding.

The handler-dog relationship is equally important. A K-9 officer must understand subtle changes in the animal’s behaviour and responses, while the dog has to respond consistently to its handler’s instructions. “Working with a sniffer dog requires patience, discipline and trust. You cannot treat the dog like an ordinary pet. The dog has to be trained, exercised and handled according to a fixed routine,” Kamble said.

Famous five

“Like Ovi, all her four siblings are highly trained and perform extremely well in their respective areas of deployment. Their work requires them to be extremely quick and alert – they have to quickly screen baggage and identify suspicious consignments within a short period. As drugs are concealed in different ways to escape the human eye, the capability of a trained canine becomes extremely important,” said Rao.

On December 18, 2022, Customs intercepted a female Ugandan passenger, who had arrived from Addis Ababa to Chennai airport, after Orio detected drugs concealed in her checked-in baggage, leading to the recovery of 1,542 grams of methaqualone and 644 grams of heroin, collectively valued at around ₹5.35 crore. The passenger was arrested and further investigation was initiated.

Collectively, the five siblings have helped the Customs department detect narcotics and other contraband worth over ₹100 crore over the last four years.

Distance however has not weakened their bond. Each time they attend a refresher training, they recognise one another immediately. “They interact with each other and show a familiarity that is quite remarkable considering they have spent most of their working lives at different locations,” said Rao.

The Customs K9 Training Centre in Amritsar is crucial in preparing such teams. Rao has been associated with setting up and managing the centre since 2019. Apart from training dogs, the centre develops training modules and conducts practical exercises before and after deployment.

“Their contribution in detecting narcotics and other prohibited items is significant,” Rao said.