Brazilian police seized a record 48 tons of marijuana in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, uncovered by chance by a sniffer dog during a routine operation against criminal factions.
During the operation in Complexo da Maré, a large cluster of favelas in the northern part of the city, a police dog named Hulk indicated something suspicious beneath an abandoned water tank.
Lt. Col. Luciano Pedro Barbosa, commander of the Canine Operations Battalion, said an officer “discovered a bunker inside where this entire quantity of drugs had been hidden.”
In an Instagram post, the battalion shared a photo of Hulk after the operation.
“Hulk deserves 48 tons of treats,” one commenter said.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Barbosa said the seizure was the largest in Brazil’s history, representing “a financial loss of almost $10 million for the criminal faction involved.”
“All of this was thanks to the work of the dog,” he said. “It wasn’t based on intelligence.”
In a separate statement, the military said it took dozens of officers five hours to remove the drugs, which were transported using four trucks.
During the operation, officers came under fire from criminals, triggering a shootout and leading to the arrest of a suspected gunman.
The previous record for the largest drug seizure in Brazil was set in 2021, when highway police confiscated 36.5 tons in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
The recent operation, launched on Tuesday, involved 250 military police officers, who also seized five rifles, four pistols, and 26 stolen vehicles, including cars and motorcycles. — Photo from AFP
