The Thai Customs Department has opened a new facility to train sniffer dogs for anti-drug operations. The new training center will create a new team of officers and sniffer dogs working to intercept drugs smuggled through airports and postal offices.
Located in Nong Prue sub-district of Samut Sakhon, the new training ground is home to an office building, a dog shelter, an indoor training facility, and a large grass field for outdoor training.
These dogs are named Kanun and Durian, two labrador retrievers gifted to Thailand by Korea Customs Service as a token of cooperation between both countries’ customs agencies to enhance the suppression of narcotics and illegal articles. Two officers from Thailand were trained in South Korea for three months together with the dogs, before traveling back to Thailand for additional training. The two dogs have shown great progress in their training.
Mr. Patchara Anantasilp, Director General of the Customs Department, said the department had received great cooperation from customs agencies in various countries, particularly South Korea, who provided two sniffer dogs and a training course to Thai officials.
The department is planning to expand its K-9 unit to include 6-10 officers, who will be operating primarily at airports and postal offices to intercept illicit drugs. (NNT)
