GARLIC was used to mask the odor of 28 kilos of shabu worth almost P200 million from drug-sniffing dogs.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (Pdea) 7 Director Wardley Getalla said the pungent smell of garlic affected the drug-sniffing capacity of K9 units.

“According to the K9 unit chief of our national headquarters, the garlic would cause them (the dogs) to sneeze if the smell was really strong. It’s a modus of drug personalities. But based on the recent arrest, it’s the first to be recorded in the Visayas,” he said.

Crushed cloves of garlic were discovered together with the shabu seized from Elymar Ancajas in Fatima Homes, Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City and from Jocelyn Encila in Barangay Casili, Consolacion at dawn on Sunday, March 3.

The garlic was taped on the garbage bags wrapped around the drugs in both cases.

“The garlic was probably placed there so that if the drugs had to be shipped off to other places and passed ports, these would escape the detection of drug-sniffing dogs,” said Cebu City Police Office Director Royina Garma in Tagalog.

The Pdea 7 has five K9 dogs that are deployed in airports, seaports, terminals and jails on rotation. The dogs are also available on request to conduct sweeping in big activities.

“The active participation of the LGUs (local government units) and the community, especially in reporting suspicious personalities and illegal drug activities, is also very crucial, as our K9 dogs can only do so much,” Getalla said in a statement.