Off-Duty Cop Stumbles on $13 Million Cocaine Stash
—oh, by the way, He's a Dog

April 11, 2001 Sydney, Australia

It's been barely a year since Billy joined the force, and already he's made what may be the biggest drug-bust in the history of the New South Wales Police Department.

Billy, a 3-year-old Labrador, is one of the 14 highly trained quadrupeds of the NSW Police Dog Squad.  Early this morning, before his regular duties were to begin, Billy and his trainer Sergeant Peter Ryan were taking a stroll in Pretoria Parade.

When they passed by the Kennards self-storage complex, Billy suddenly dropped to the ground with his tail wagging and refused to budge.

Sergeant Ryan immediately recognized this as Billy's way of saying, "Hey, look what I found."  He radioed the Hornsby Police.

Shortly thereafter, detectives showed up with a search warrant and proceeded to open the rental unit.  Inside, they found bags of cocaine totaling 24.4kg—roughly $13 Million (AUS) worth.

"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 way," said Superintendent Ken Mackay, head of the Drugs Task Force. 

Billy got a pat on the head and a biscuit.

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