Drug-Buster! Sniffer dog is £5m scourge of the dealers
Springer spaniel to retire after seven years of f ighting crime
ON his days off, he likes nothing better than chasing balls in the park.
But on duty, Buster the springer spaniel becomes the scourge of drug dealers and money launderers.
He is one of Scotland’s most successful sniffer dogs, having uncovered drugs worth more than £5.5 million and £750,000 of ‘dirty’ cash.
Now his handler has announced the nine-year-old is to retire.
Last week, Buster carried out one of his final patrols at Glasgow Airport, where handler and owner Ian revealed how he had always been a natural.
The 46-year-old said: ‘Buster was handed in to the police dog training centre at Pollok Country Park by a family who couldn’t cope with him. He must have been about two and was too hyper for them to handle.
‘We go and assess a dog to see if he’s got the drive. You show them a ball and run away and hide it in a room, then get them to hunt for it.
‘If the dog has that ability to search, that’s when you decide. Buster showed that capability and I knew he was too good just to be a pet. He’s a pet with me anyway, but he was too good not to be working, just to be lying about all day. He had something to give.’
Buster spent six weeks being dual trained, which meant he could search for drugs and cash. From 2008, he worked for Scotland’s Border Policing Command, most often at Stranraer, Cairnryan and Loch Ryan in Wigtownshire. Among his significant hauls was a £1 million stash of cannabis hidden in secret compartments under a trailer in 2012.
Buster, whose reward for a discovery is a tennis ball, sniffed out the drugs during a routine check at Cairnryan.
He was praised by a High Court judge when he detected cannabis with a street value of £500,000 in a horsebox. Lord Uist said a ‘novel and ingenious’ scheme had been frustrated thanks to Buster, who helped officers uncover 54lb of cannabis in the April 2012 incident at Cairnryan.
Ian said: ‘He had a drugs find of £2.7 million two years ago and in total he’s had about £5.6 million. I’m not sure if it’s a record, but it’s bound to be up there. He’s had 590 recoveries.
‘Buster has got a right wee attitude. When he’s working, he will look up at me as if to say, “Right dad,” and I know he’s found something. As soon as he gets a find, he gets the ball.
‘One cracking find he had for cash was during a cold stop, when there is no previous intelligence. He went in the boot of a car and indicated towards the rear panel. When we unscrewed it all there was £75,000 in carrier bags.’
While the varied nature of the job means Buster and Ian work i n different locations, there is no likelihood of the dog becoming confused over whether or not he is on duty. He has a special harness and knows his shift starts once it is on.
Dogs must pass a licence test every six months. But as Ian began to realise Buster was becoming less steady on his feet in the back of dark lorries, he acknowledged it would soon be time for him to retire. Ian said: ‘He will enjoy lying on the couch and chasing a ball on my days off.’ Police Scotland Detective Inspector Colin McColm said: ‘Buster deserves credit for his hard work over the years, but it is a team effort and credit must be paid to Buster’s handler Ian.
‘Ian and Buster are a great team. They have gone about their duty in a professional and cheery manner, culminating in some great drug-busting results.’ Even though Buster is retiring, criminals will be unable to breathe a sigh of relief – for Ian has already trained up sprocker spaniel Gizmo to take over.
‘I knew he was too good just to be a pet’