JUAREZ, Mexico (Border Report) – Their bark is far worse than their bite. So much so that last year, Juarez’s 17 drug-sniffing police dogs alerted the municipal police to 15,305 fentanyl pills, 475 pounds of crystal meth and other assorted illegal drugs hidden in cars, backpacks, and people’s pockets.

The canine officers also sniffed out 16 guns and high-caliber rifles and dozens of boxes of ammo, contributing to 188 arrests, according to Juarez Municipal Public Safety Department Spokesman Adrian Sanchez.

“This happens because of teamwork. The canines are trained in Mexico and the U.S. and so are their handlers. Together, they become an efficient team,” he said.

Plans call to expand the role and training of the canine unit in 2024 to increase the effectiveness of the police while searching for drugs and guns with cause.

“Every canine in the unit has specialized training; some are trained to sniff for guns and explosives, others for substances like marijuana or cocaine,” Sanchez said.

The new trend in Juarez and other major Mexican border cities is the sale of methamphetamine in crystal form. Several of Juarez’s canine officers were taught to sniff out that substance, which explains the almost quarter of a ton of crystal taken off the streets last year, Sanchez said.

Juarez’s public safety challenges are ever-evolving. Police officials don’t discount the possibility of having dogs trained to sniff out cadavers, but for now, that remains in the realm of state or federal authorities.

In mid-November, Chihuahua state police recovered the body of a woman buried under the patio of a home near Kilometer 20, a landmark in the southern outskirts of Juarez. In late November, the state police found the body of a missing women’s rights activist near a junkyard in Anapra on the western edges of the city. It’s not clear if the state police used the dogs to help in the search for the bodies.