The Irish sniffer dog helping to keep drugs out of the hands of convicted
criminals in jail is being kept at a secret location in the Republic amid
fears he may be poisoned or targeted by frustrated inmates.
Cellmates in Limerick Prison have ordered their associates in the city's
criminal gangs to take out a contract on Rocky, the two-year-old spaniel,
who has reduced the amount of narcotics being smuggled into Limerick prison.
Over the last fortnight, Rocky has patrolled the visiting area of the prison
and the incidents of drug smuggling into the jail have vastly reduced as a
result.
Visitors suspected of concealing narcotics by Rocky are removed from the
prison or are subject to a body search and a possible garda investigation.
Officers have recovered various quantities of cannabis during searches.
Rocky is one of three dogs used by the Irish Prison Service in a pilot
scheme to tighten security measures in the prison. Full-time dog units will
be recruited to patrol the majority of prisons in the near future. These
animals will be kept in secret locations amid fears for their safety.
In the past, customs officers who used sniffer dogs to patrol Irish ports
were followed home and attacked after the animals began to detect vast
quantities of drugs being imported here.
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