Loki, the Costa del police dog that plays a vital role in the fight against drugs

Loki is part of one of the few Local Police canine units in Malaga province and has helped in around 700 narcotics investigations. The German shepherd dog works the same shifts as his "partner", Rincón de la Victoria Local Police officer David Bravo, with the force, day and night.

Seeing Loki in action is a spectacle. In the Huerta de San Julián of the coastal town, there is a group that has hidden a package of drugs in a car, Loki arrives in David's patrol vehicle, gets out of his travelling cage, exchanges a glance with Bravo and, without a bark, sets off. He sniffs in the middle of a large green area, where there are families and municipal workers, people coming and going, even a journalist, in other words, all kinds of stimuli; but, without hesitation, Loki jumps into the back of the vehicle and, with a firm nose, stiff as a stick, indicates the place where the drugs are hidden.

Loki still has more difficult work to do. This time, the dog has to locate a package, also containing something that shouldn't be consumed, hidden among some strong-smelling bushes and, additionally, with the wind against him. It takes a little longer, but after a few detours, Loki manages to find it. And, before returning to the headquarters, the police dog rumbles an individual who has a narcotic substance in his underwear; Loki immediately barks and indicates where the hidden stash is located.

It's not real work, it's a demonstration in which Local Police officers take part as extras, but the dog doesn't know it. "Loki is able to locate hashish, marijuana, cocaine or synthetic substances," explained Bravo. "The training has always been done with special compounds, which are similar to the real ones, with which they establish a bond. The reward is to be able to play," the officer explained.

Since 2020, when the force's canine unit was set up, Loki has helped in bringing to justice the perpetrators of more than 700 drug possession offences, 250 of them last year alone. Bravo has always been passionate about the canine world and is highly trained, with a large number of distinctions as a trainer, such as one awarded by the University of Cadiz.

Rincón’s councillor for Public Safety, Manuel García, said that the town hall is delighted with Loki, "and his work is essential for the town". "Drug prevention is fundamental and we want to increase this unit, one of the few in Malaga, with new resources," García said.

And, at the end of his working day, Loki the German shepherd goes home and plays with Bravo’s children who adore him.