Sombra is a six-year-old German shepherd and a record-breaking drug-sniffing dog. She has helped police in Colombia to seize over 2,000 kilos of cocaine hidden in boats, shipments of fruit and suitcases. Now the sniffer dog has a price on her head as the leader of the most powerful drug cartel in the country wants her stopped.

The drug lord in question is head of Clan del Golfo (the Gulf Clan) – a drug cartel which has its own guerrilla army – and he has had enough of the animal's incredible skills.

German shepherd with a price on her head

The leader of the Gulf Clan has offered $7,000 to the first person to capture or kill Sombra, after the skilled drug-sniffing dog has cost him over 2,000 kilos of cocaine.

She is now the target of Colombia’s most powerful and dangerous drug cartel.

Due to the threat to her life, Sombra (or Shadow in Spanish) has been moved away from the busy port on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. She will now work in the capital city of Bogota as a drug-sniffing dog at the El Dorado International Airport. However, she is not totally safe just yet and for this reason, two armed guards transport her, backwards and forwards from her drug-sniffing shift in the airport in a van with tinted windows.

Incredible sense of smell

Sombra’s handler, Jose Rojas, 25, said they are responsible for the dog’s safety.

According to Rojas, Sombra has an incredible sense of smell, beyond that of other sniffer dogs. Among the German shepherd’s recent busts is finding five tons of cocaine, concealed in banana crates and intended for shipment to Europe.

However, Sombra has also been responsible for over 245 drug-related arrests at Colombia’s two biggest airports.

Since her transfer to Bogota in January, the German shepherd has found thousands of pounds of the drug hidden in various boxes of wooden necklaces and sneakers. Sombra can be seen at work in the video below.

Drug war in Colombia

The threat to Sombra’s life was discovered via an intercepted phone call. The work the German shepherd is doing is very risky.

The national police in Colombia told local news outlets that at least 1,800 officers have died over the last 20 years and a number of dogs have also been lost in the war against drugs.

As reported by the Guardian, the problem is due to the increased output of coca, the ingredient of cocaine. This is even causing problems with the United States. According to a report by the White House, the sheer amount of land being used to harvest the coca plant has made the production of cocaine increase by 11 percent during 2017. This is despite US counter-narcotics efforts, into which $10 billion has been invested.
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