Sniffer dogs to help catch drug cheats

SNIFFER dogs will be used by antidoping authorities to catch drug cheats in future. Unveiling a four-year strategic plan, UK Anti-Doping said they need to be ‘innovative’ in their commitment to clean sport and that they cannot rely on drug testing alone. Public-funded drug testing is set to increase by 50 per cent, leading to around 6,000 tests a year by 2022. But the extra £6million of government funding awarded to UKAD at the start of this year will also be spent on broadening the anti-doping approach. Explaining how sniffer dogs might be used, UKAD chair Trevor Pearce said: ‘It is getting dogs to recognise a particular set of smells as opposed to cannabis, cocaine or heroin, but equally money. ‘Clearly not every testing regime needs a sniffer dog. But if we were investigating an illicit lab, as an example, or someone who was significantly supplying and you wanted to get access to the material, then that is the sort of resource which becomes available.’ UKAD have performed successful raids with the National Crime Agency (NCA) using sniffer dogs, and this method is now part of a list of 32 ‘disruption’ tactics that will be used.