Japan’s ‘super’ sniffer dog Melba retires, counts US$11.8 million drug bust as biggest-ever case cracked
- Eight-year-old Labrador retriever, the equivalent of 60 in human age, began her tour of duty at Narita and Haneda airports in 2017
- Canine achieved acclaim in 2019 after detecting 29.94kg of illegal stimulants in the suitcases of a Canadian traveller
The bane of smugglers attempting to enter Tokyo with their illegal cargoes, Japan’s most prolific drug-sniffing dog, is hanging up her leash.
Melba, a Labrador retriever, first began padding the arrivals halls at Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda international airports in 2017 and has since earned a reputation as a narcotics-detecting “super dog”, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Monday.
Now eight years old, the equivalent of around 60 in human terms, Melba achieved acclaim in February 2019 after detecting 29.94kg of illegal stimulants in the suitcases of a Canadian traveller arriving at Narita Airport from Montreal. The drugs were concealed inside plastic bags within items of clothing and had an estimated street value of 1.8 billion yen (US$11.85 million).
The seizure was the largest ever by a drug-sniffing dog in Japan.
“Melba is a superior detector dog because she does not rely on her handler when she is carrying out an inspection,” said her handler at Japan Customs, who cannot be named for security reasons.
“While other dogs require constant guidance, Melba is able to independently dig through baggage to track down the source of a smell. This skill is particularly valuable in airport inspections, where baggage and passengers are in constant motion.”