A dog trained to sniff out banknotes and narcotics has been acquired by the Customs Department thanks to sponsorship by the Central Bank.

The department currently has eight dog teams which can detect a variety of illegal substances, also including tobacco.

The dog that has been sponsored by the Central Bank of Malta, named Żekkin, is a 2-year-old Labrador. 

Żekkin was trained by the UK Border Force and will be paired with a qualified Customs handler, similar to the other canines of the department.

After passing a rigorous selection test, dogs are usually signed up to the training programme when they are between one and two years old, and it takes at least eight weeks to train the dog in the UK, followed up by more training on its return to Malta, together with its handler. The new canine team then needs to successfully undertake an assessment before it is given an operational licence. The licence needs to be renewed every year following a test by the Border Force canine instructor.

Żekkin is a dual dog, so called because he is trained to detect both drugs and currency, in a variety of contexts, ranging from the airport and sea port, to postal depots and commercial outlets.

Like many other countries, Malta has a legal limit of €10,000 on the amount of undeclared cash that may be carried by a traveller arriving, leaving or transiting the island. Travellers carrying more than €10,000 are obliged to declare the amounts with the Customs Department before the start of their trip. This limit is aimed at curbing illicit activity, including the laundering of money sourced from illegal activities, and the financing of terrorism.