Canine squad to sniff out narcotics smugglers at airport

A dog squad, trained for sniffing narcotics, will for the first time become part of Cochin Customs at the international airport near here.
The formal inauguration of the 'Customs Sniffer Dogs Squadron' was held today, a release said.
Airport authorities have provided the basic infrastructure required for the squad, it said.
The two dogs of the squad, named Alex and Cemna, have undergone training in sniffing narcotics at the National Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD), Tekanpur, Gwalior.
The dogs were imparted training for over six months and will help the customs officials to detect narcotics more effectively and efficiently, the release said.

Three customs officials were trained at the National Training Centre and have been posted exclusively for this purpose, it said.
The sniffer dogs will be under the charge of S A S Navaz, Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Air Intelligence Unit.
The squad was inaugurated by K N Raghavan, Commissioner of Customs, in the presence of Navaz, Airport Director A C K Nair and CISF Commandant Shushir Kumar.