Trained Labradors sniff out $2.86 million in pirated discs

It’s chilling to think about, but one measure of success for law enforcement agents is that the bad guys want to eliminate them. That seems to extend even to dogs that are trained to put them out of business. Two sniffer dogs, Lucky and Flo, have been so successful in their visit to Malaysia that a bounty has been put out on them.

Lucky and Flo are two black Labs trained by British customs to sniff out hidden DVD’s and CD’s. After successfully finding counterfeit discs, even the smallest amounts in very large containers since they finished their training in September, they are putting the bite (sorry) on Malaysian movie pirates.

Using only their trained noses, they led investigators to an estimated one million pirated discs with an estimated $2.86 million value in a raid this week. Lucky and Flo had a 100 percent success rate in locating pirated optical discs, according to authorities.

During the raid they sniffed out hidden doors and false walls where illegal discs and manufacturing equipment were found. Authorities believe that the locations all belong to a syndicate that sells the pirated discs domestically and internationally through the Internet.

Lucky and Flo have been trained to detect polycarbonate and other chemicals used in optical discs. They not able to distinguish between legitimate and pirated discs, but legitimate discs are generally clearly labeled and registered on shipping manifests. Discs hidden or shipped in unregistered containers are most often pirated versions. The dogs are used in airports and border crossings where smuggling is a problem.

The motion picture industry estimates that it lost $6.1 billion in pirated DVD’s last year. Each disc sold supports criminal activities instead of going to the hundreds of artists and technicians who make their livings producing them.

Not to worry about the safety of Lucky and Flo. Not only are they well protected, but their success has assured that other dogs will be trained to detect pirated discs in countries all over the world.

More on the story
Thanks, Laura, for the update

Comments

[chandira]

I once knew a sniffer dog that ate about a pound of marijuana.. No, really. It was comatose for about 3 days, but when I was 16, that dog was my hero.. lol

WOw, that is amazing that they could sniff out dvds, cancer, etc.. My love of doggies gets bigger every day. :-)

[Laura]

I'm always amazed when I hear something else that dogs have been trained to sniff out.

[Lonie Polony]

They look like my dogs! If only mine were that well trained...

[Doggy Mama]

I heard about these pups on the news this morning! Amazing creatures dogs are, huh!?

And look how cute they are!

[jackie]

too bad we can't train them to sniff out bad boyfriends, or bad husbands..now there's a dog for ya..

[Tom]

How could they possibly smell DVDs. They have no odor. Theyre in plastic cases. I dont believe this.

[Coll]

Their sniffers are amazing tools. I often marvel at my own dogs sense of smell and sometimes wonder what it must be like.

[schnoodlepooh]

That's a very cool story. I totally admire dogs in that kind of service. It's great that they can help out with their wonderful sense of smell.

[Nichole]

Amazing! It's incredible what dogs can be trained to find. I watched a special the other day that said they were training dogs to recognize cancerous skin patches as opposed to benign areas. A dog that can sniff out skin cancer? Pretty remarkable...

[Matt]

I saw this on Good Morning America. Great story. It's never amazes me how dogs are used in law enforcement. I can't believe there is a contract out on the dogs.