Dog handler takes on West Midlands gangs using ‘James Bond’ tech

A dog handler helping police to sniff out illegal drugs and cigarettes believes criminals in the West Midlands are using “James Bond-style” technology to avoid capture.

Stuart Philips runs a canine detection company, and three of his dogs took part in a raid this month where £50,000 worth of illicit goods were found in Walsall.

Police have become more reliant on his services, he said, as gangs use sophisticated methods to hide them.

“Often they are referred to as James Bond-style concealments. It’s routine and very common,” he said.

“The products will be sold from dodgy shops.

“The level of sophistication they use to hide the illegal tobacco and cigarettes is that sophisticated (the police) can’t find it without dogs.”

The haul in Walsall included 60,000 illegal cigarettes, rolling tobacco and 70 nitrous oxide canisters, known as laughing gas. It came as police and trading standards officers targeted five locations in the town on October 9.

Leading the charge was sniffer dog Griff, along with his canine friends Bran and Cooper.

At one premises, the trio found cigarettes in the ceiling as well as stuffed in a box hidden under toys and crisps.

Further investigations are thought to be planned to crack down on similar illegal operations.

Mr Philips, from Pembrokeshire, said it was all in a day’s work and described it as an “amazing job”.

“The one thing I would like people to know, that when people are buying cheap cigarettes, they are not just buying a product,” he said.

“The proceeds of what they are buying are linked to other crime and other criminality. It’s not just about a packet of cheap cigarettes.”