By C1 Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — During a four and a half-year career, K-9 Drako has turned up 1,000 contraband cell phones.
The Daily Democrat reports that Drako is also responsible for the discovery of 21 pounds of marijuana, 1.25 pounds of methamphetamine, 5.5 ounces of heroin and 2.5 ounces of honey oil, which is a highly concentrated form of cannabis.
But the thousandth cell phone is what Drako’s handler is most proud of.
“That was a great, spectacular find, because the inmates had actually lifted up their sink and they had figured out how to fit the cell phone in the back plumbing,” said CO Brian Pyle.
“Our officers had a tough time skinnying their hands up in there to pull the cell phone out. Not saying that if we didn’t go in there with tools and tore the cell apart we wouldn’t have found it, but staff doesn’t usually do that. So that was truly one of those finds that if it wasn’t for the dog, it wouldn’t have happened.”
When it comes to where inmates have been known to stash cell phones, Pyle says there is no normal.
“It could be hidden in a shampoo bottle, hidden in the mattress … it could be anywhere.”
One of Drako’s best cell phone discoveries was a phone wrapped in cellophane and hidden inside a peanut butter container.
Drako was donated to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation by Debbie Skinner, owner of Paws N Claws Kennel in Agunaga, Calif., in August 2009 and was the first dog in the state to be cross trained in cell phones and narcotics.
And his talents aren’t just confined to the prison itself. His nose has led to the discovery of more than 800 pounds of marijuana and five pounds of methamphetamine while assisting outside agencies with searches.