SNIFFER DOG ENDS TRAINING RUN WITH HUGE COCAINE FIND

What began as a routine training exercise for Billy the police drug
detection dog ended in the fortuitous seizure of $13 million worth of
cocaine from a rental storage complex in Sydney yesterday.

Billy was rewarded with a pat, praise and a biscuit by his handler Sergeant
Peter Ryan.

But the sergeant, one of four handlers with the NSW police dog squad, whose
labradors are dedicated to drug detection, did not know the extent of the
discovery - which proved to be one of the largest cocaine hauls in the
state - until several hours after the find.

Sergeant Ryan had taken the three-year-old Labrador to a self-storage
facility for a series of training exercises aimed at acquainting him with
search scenarios.

Within 30 minutes of being put through his paces, Billy came to a halt
alongside the orange roller doors of a rental unit inside the complex that
had not been included as part of the test.

In keeping with his training, there was no excited barking to indicate a
find. Billy simply lay down, wagged his tail and refused to budge.

Sergeant Ryan knew Billy had detected a narcotic. Within an hour,
detectives from the Drugs Task Force arrived with a warrant to search the
suspect unit.

Task force head Superintendent Ken Mackay confirmed late yesterday that
24.4 kilograms of cocaine in bags had been found inside the storage unit.
He refused to discuss how long the unit had been rented, saying
"investigations were continuing".

Although Billy has been fully trained since joining the police service 13
months ago from the Victoria Guide Dogs breeding program, such exercises
were designed to keep the dog's mind active, said Sergeant Ryan. But he
admitted that yesterday's find was the last thing he expected.

Superintendent Mackay praised the work of the drug detection dog unit,
which has recently been criticised for its use on marijuana growers and
suppliers in the Byron Bay area.

"You can spend several months on an operation and not come up with
anything, but just look what these dogs can do. They're certainly paying
their their way," Superintendent Mackay said.

Sergeant Ryan said Billy and the three other labradors in the unit had
certainly earned their keep.

"They are a good friendly dog, user-friendly, easy to train ... everyone
loves a labrador," he said.