“Sombra is a very friendly, calm canine, and for that reason, she has no problem approaching children or people who want to say hello to her,” Oscar Favian Solarte, head of the anti-narcotics division, told El Tiempo. “She’s playful, and in fact that is part of the development of her job. Not only to look for caches of illicit drugs but also, after her work is done, to de-stress, so to speak.”<doc-sep>BOGOTA, Colombia —Sombra, a six-year-old German shepherd, has helped Colombia's police detect more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine hidden in suitcases, boats and large shipments of fruit. But as the dog sniffs her way toward record cocaine interdictions, she has also become the latest target of Colombia's most powerful drug gang. Colombian police recently revealed that the Gulf Clan, a cartel that boasts its own guerrilla army, has offered a reward of $7,000 to whoever kills or captures the savvy hound. The threat prompted officials to relocate Sombra — whose name in Spanish means Shadow — from a busy port on Colombia's Caribbean coast to the capital city, where she now uses her extraordinary talent to sniff through suspicious cargo at Bogota's El Dorado International Airport. After her six hour shift is over, Sombra is transported in a van with tinted windows back to her kennel. She is usually accompanied by two armed guards. "We are responsible for her safety," said officer Jose Rojas, Sombra's 25-year-old handler. Drug dog Sombra inspects a suitcase at the El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia, on July 26, 2018. Fernando Vergara / AP Sombra's detective work is needed now more than ever as Colombia wrestles with soaring coca production that is testing traditionally close relations with the United States. A recent White House report found the amount of land where peasants and drug traffickers harvest the plant used to make cocaine rose 11 percent in 2017, despite $10 billion in U.S. counter-narcotics work. "President Trump's message to Colombia is clear: The record growth in cocaine production must be reversed," warned Jim Carroll, deputy director for the drug policy office. President-elect Ivan Duque is promising a tougher approach to speed up eradication with strategies that could include aerial spraying and the use of drones. But even with advanced technology, experts say on-the-ground detective work like that performed by Sombra is critical. Some of Sombra's recent busts include uncovering over five tons of Gulf Clan cocaine destined for Europe and concealed in crates of bananas. Officers also credit her incredible nose with more than 245 drug-related arrests at two of Colombia's biggest international airports. "Her sense of smell is far beyond that of other dogs," Rojas said. Drug cartels like the Gulf Clan have taken note. After learning there was a price on Sombra's head, Colombia's national police director ordered her to be transferred to a new post earlier this year, according to local news reports. Investigators uncovered the threat against Sombra through an intercepted phone call. "Sombra the German shepherd has become the terror of criminal organizations," a recent story in Colombia's El Espectador newspaper proclaimed. On a typical day, Sombra is up by 6 a.m. and shuttled from a kennel to work at El Dorado airport inspecting packages and cargo. With her neon reflective vest, pointy ears and gaping mouth, she looks more like a beloved family pet than a veteran drug-sniffing police dog. Since she was transferred in January, the dog named Shadow has sniffed thousands of pounds of cocaine out of the dark, helping her handlers find the drug hidden in boxes full of sneakers and wooden necklaces. A few months ago, the tenacious hound also sniffed out 77 kilos of cocaine placed deep inside an industrial machine.<doc-sep>More than 10 tons of cocaine on San Diego pier The U.S. Coast Guard displays a reported 14 tons of cocaine stacked on the deck of a Cutter in San Diego Officers stand by a display of confiscated drugs in Sydney, Monday, Jan. 15, 2016. Australian Federal Police said they had seized 720 liters (190 gallons) of the illicit drug methylamphetamine worth more than 1 billion Australian dollars ($700 million). (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) Handout picture released by the Colombian police showing eight tons of seized cocaine in Turbo, Antioquia department, on May 15, 2016. General Jorge Nieto, the head of the Colombian police, said the seized cocaine belonged to the Usuga clan. / AFP PHOTO / COLOMBIAN POLICE HO / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /COLOMBIAN POLICE" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS COLOMBIAN POLICE HO/AFP/Getty Images An undated handout photo obtained on July 3, 2016, shows a large diamante-encrusted horse head from Mexico from which New Zealand police said they have seized a record 10 million USD worth of cocaine hidden inside. The largest-ever haul of the drug in New Zealand has been linked to the rebuild of the city of Christchurch, severely damaged in a 2011 earthquake, and the Australian market. / AFP / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) Photo from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows nine pounds of cocaine taped to suspect's leg Philippine Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, center, and National Bureau of Investigation Director Dante Gierran, 3rd from right, display nearly one metric ton of seized methamphetamine during a press conference in Manila, Philippines Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. Aguirre II said Tuesday the 890 kilograms (1,962 pounds) of methamphetamine seized in the series of raids that started on Dec. 1 until Dec. 26 has a street value of nearly 6 billion pesos ($120 million), the biggest drug haul in the country so far. 10 people including 3 Chinese nationals were arrested during the raids. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Australian national Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto (C) is escorted by a Malaysian custom official as she arrives at the Magistrate Court in Sepang on April 30, 2015. An Australian woman faces a possible death sentence for drug trafficking in Malaysia after a prosecutor said on April 30 a chemist's report confirmed the substance found in her bag was crystal methamphetamine. AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images) (CNN) — Her talent for sniffing out drugs has led to the capture of at least 245 people and the seizure of 9 tons of cocaine from the powerful Urabeños gang in Colombia. But now Sombra (Shadow, in English), a 6-year-old German shepherd who is incredibly popular among children and adults alike, is in danger. A pesar de tener 6 añitos, a la agente sombra le sobra vitalidad 🐶 ha sido reconocida porque protege la vida de los niños, niñas y adolescentes del veneno mortal de las drogas. Todos la quieren y puedes tomarte tu selfie en el aeropuerto @BOG_ELDORADO. Guao 🐶 pic.twitter.com/BTbeGXeUSx — Policía Antinarcóticos (@PoliciaAntiNar) July 24, 2018 The Urabeños mafia has put a bounty of 200 million pesos ($70,000) on her head, according to Colombian police, so the dog had to be moved to Bogota’s El Dorado airport over fears for her safety. Along with her usual handler, Jose Rojas, Sombra is now escorted by other officers to keep an eye on her, police said. Over the past three years, Sombra has become “the torment of Otoniel, seizing 9 tons of cocaine,” anti-narcotics police said in a tweet. Nuestro can "Sombra" fue la mejor durante los entrenamientos en detección de drogas ilícitas, en los últimos tres años se convirtió en el tormento de "Otoniel" incautandole 9 toneladas de cocaína #ConozcaMás a "Sombra" en el desfile #20DeJulio #COLOMBIAunasolaFuerza pic.twitter.com/a6tWpjkdiQ — Policía Antinarcóticos (@PoliciaAntiNar) July 20, 2018 Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel,” is the head of the Urabeños, one of Colombia’s most powerful criminal groups and one of the country’s most wanted men. “Our German shepherd, Sombra, has participated in almost 300 operations,” Col. Tito Castellanos, the deputy director for the anti-narcotics police, told Colombian news agency RCN. She has already won two K-9 Medals of Courage for her valor and might get a third one this year, he said. CNN’s Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report<doc-sep>A Colombian drug cartel has put out a $70,000 hit on a drug-sniffing German shepherd after she helped authorities discover nearly 10 tons of the group's cocaine. Sombra ("Shadow" in English) has been relocated by authorities after the Urabeños, which is considered to be Colombia's most powerful criminal organization, put the price on her head, the BBC reported Thursday. The 6-year-old canine has had an incredibly successful career as a drug sniffer thus far, reportedly having uncovered a record amount of narcotics. Previously, Sombra worked along the South American country's Atlantic coastline, especially in the town of Turbo. The area is well known as a key shipping area for tons of cocaine sent by speedboats—and sometimes by submarine—to Central America as well as the U.S. The dog has now been transferred to the Columbian capital, Bogotá, where she'll continue working in the El Dorado airport and can be more easily protected from the cartel's threats. While she worked along the coast Sombra managed to sniff out 5.3 tons of cocaine. She also recently discovered an additional 4 tons stored in car parts awaiting export, according to the BBC. The leader of the Urabeños, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, also known as "Otoniel," is one of Colombia's most wanted criminals. The cartel, which is also known as the Úsuga clan or Gulf clan, controls a major portion of the country's drug trafficking trade. Last June, Colombian authorities dispatched 1,000 police officers to search for Úsuga in northern Colombia. They were using black hawk helicopters and said at the time that they had "him within striking distance," Agence France-Presse reported. "He has had to run for it at the last second, more than once," Jose Angel Mendoza, head of the anti-narcotics police division, told the news agency. The U.S. government offered a $5 million reward for the drug leaders' apprehension back in 2009, after an indictment in a New York court. The State Department describes Úsuga's gang as "a heavily armed, extremely violent criminal organization comprised of former members of terrorist organizations." Urabeños has previously offered monetary rewards to anyone who kills its opponents. Back in 2012, the organization issued leaflets offering $500 for murdering policemen, the BBC reported at the time. The move was in retaliation for the death of Juan de Dios Úsuga, one of the leaders at the time. However, the hit on Sombra is exceptionally high, signaling the gang's anger over the deep financial losses the expert sniffer had caused.<doc-sep>
Colombian authorities have been forced to relocate a police dog responsible for sniffing out more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine after a drug cartel placed a $7,000 bounty on the animal. Police recently discovered that the powerful Gulf Clan – also known as the Úsugas – had offered the reward for the death or capture of Sombra, a six-year-old German shepherd. The threat prompted officials to relocate Sombra – whose name in Spanish means Shadow – from the port of Turbo on the Caribbean coast to the capital city, where she now uses her extraordinary talent at Bogotá’s El Dorado international airport. “Her sense of smell is far beyond that of other dogs,” said officer José Rojas, Sombra’s 25-year-old handler. Sombra is transported between her kennel and the airport in a van with tinted windows and is usually accompanied by two armed guards. “We are responsible for her safety,” said Rojas. Sombra looks for drugs in the cargo hold of El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia, on 26 July. Photograph: Fernando Vergara/AP Colombia’s soaring output of coca – the raw material of cocaine – is testing traditionally close relations with the United States. A recent White House report found the amount of land where peasants and drug traffickers harvest the plant used to make cocaine rose 11% in 2017, despite $10bn in US counter-narcotics work. President-elect Iván Duque is promising a tougher approach to speed up eradication with strategies that could include aerial spraying and the use of drones. But even with advanced technology, experts say on-the-ground detective work like that performed by Sombra is critical. Some of Sombra’s recent busts include uncovering over five tons of Gulf Clan cocaine destined for Europe and concealed in crates of bananas. Officers also credit her incredible nose with more than 245 drug-related arrests at two of Colombia’s biggest international airports. “Sombra the German shepherd has become the terror of criminal organizations,” a recent story in Colombia’s El Espectador newspaper proclaimed. After learning there was a price on Sombra’s head, Colombia’s national police director ordered her to be transferred to a new post earlier this year, according to local news reports. Investigators uncovered the threat against Sombra through an intercepted phone call. Colombia’s national police estimates that it has lost at least 1,800 officers over the past two decades and a number of dogs to the war on drugs.