A Florida K-9 used his skills to help in a major drug bust recently in Hernando County, and citizens are praising his efforts.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said this week the bust took place on Tuesday when a trooper pulled over a Jeep Grand Cherokee on I-75 with a fraudulent Arizona license plate, WFLA reported.
Troopers also learned the driver was unlicensed, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles noted in a social media post.
However, it was not long before K-9 Titan sniffed out 5.5 pounds of heroin that was worth $693,000.
“Both occupants of the vehicle, 33-year-old Maurilio Garcia-Torres and 19-year-old Ivania Riestra-Garcia were determined to be undocumented aliens from Mexico,” the WFLA report said.
Maurilio Garcia-Torres and Ivania Riestra-Garcia, illegal aliens arrested for heroin trafficking and distribution. (courtesy Hernando County Sheriff’s Office)
The pair was arrested, transported to the Hernando County Jail, and charged with heroin trafficking, distribution of heroin, and possession of a vehicle for drug trafficking.
Officials shared images taken after the bust, with K-9 Titan sitting next to an FHP vehicle while proudly displaying his find:
Today, while on routine patrol in Hernando county, FHP Troopers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling on I-75…
Posted by Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles on Tuesday, April 26, 2022
“Give that pupper a steak along with everyone else! Great job!!” one social media user commented, while another said, “Great job FHP & Titan! Keep this drugs off our streets!”
Heroin is described as an opioid drug in the form of powder, or a black substance, known as black tar heroin, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Individuals using heroin over a long period of time can experience symptoms such as insomnia, collapsed veins for those who inject it, damaged tissue in the nose for people who sniff or snort the drug, liver and kidney disease, lung problems, and mental disorders.
“Heroin is highly addictive. People who regularly use heroin often develop a tolerance, which means that they need higher and/or more frequent doses of the drug to get the desired effects,” the institute said.
