A police sniffer dog has been put under protection after a Colombian drug cartel put a £53,000 bounty on her head for being too good at her job.
The Urabeños are said to have issued the reward for taking out German Shepherd Sombra - which means Shadow - for sniffing out a record amount of drugs during her career.
Sombra has unearthed nearly 10 tonnes of the gang’s cocaine and her finds led to the arrest of 245 suspects.
As a consequence, the dog has been moved from the gang’s stronghold to Bogotá airport to ensure her safety and she’s receiving extra protection, the BBC reported.
The Urabeños, also known as the Úsuga clan or Gulf clan, are considered Colombia’s most powerful criminal organisation and its boss, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, is one of the country’s most wanted men.
As well as being accompanied by her usual handler at the international airport, the six-year-old canine will also be safeguarded by extra officers.
Sombra has been deployed in ports on the Atlantic coast including Turbo, a town from which tonnes of cocaine are shipped by speedboat and sometimes submarine to Central America and on to the US.
In Turbo, Sombra sniffed out 5.3 tonnes of cocaine and recently found another four tonnes stashed in car parts meant for export.
The BBC reported that it isn’t unusual for the Urabeños to offer money to get rid of those impacting their business, with police finding leaflets signed by the gang in 2012 offering £380 to anyone who killed a police officer.