Italian police say a cash-smuggling operation was thwarted when a police dog in a bus station in a small town near Florence sniffed out a stash of millions of euros in two suitcases uncovered Wednesday, the agency shared on social media.
On Wednesday, near Florence, an Italian police dog successfully uncovered a cash-smuggling operation in a bus station by sniffing out a stash of millions of euros in two suitcases. (Guardia di Finanza)
Authorities in the Guardia di Finanza — an Italian police agency focused on financial crimes —seized €1,075,600 in currency, or approximately $1.18 million.
Elio, a black Labrador, led police officers to the stash during a routine bus inspection in Scandicci, a small town in northern Italy. The luggage belonged to an unnamed Chinese national living in Italy.
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An Italian State Police officer looks on at a checkpoint on March 10, 2020, in Milan, Italy. (Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)
The resident was unable to provide an account for where the funds came from, so law enforcement officials temporarily detained the individual due to monetary regulations, BBC reported.
A formal investigation into the incident was launched Wednesday.
In May, another Italian police dog in Gioia Tauro sniffed out three tons of cocaine in 70 banana-shipping containers traveling from Ecuador.
On Wednesday, near Florence, €1,075,600 ($1,177,437) was found stashed in two suitcases at a bus station in a cash-smuggling attempt. (Guardia di Finanza)
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Recently, Italy has seen a growing trend of so-called unlicensed Chinese shadow bankers working for Italian drug syndicates, Reuters reported in April. These interactions often involve trafficking in suitcases filled with cash.