Italian police dog sniffs out €1m during routine bus check

Elio the sniffer dog found the suitcases during a routine inspection

An Italian sniffer dog alerted its handlers by excitedly wagging its tail to two suitcases containing over one million euros in cash near the city of Florence.

Elio, a black Labrador, sniffed out €1,075,600 (£923,806) hidden inside a passenger’s luggage during a routine police patrol on buses in the small town of Scandicci in northern Italy last month.

Elio warned his instructor by showing excitement, wagging its tail repeatedly, around the bags of a passenger of Chinese origin.

The Chinese citizen, who is a legal resident in Italy, had boarded the bus in Catania on the southern island of Sicily and was heading to Aosta, a northern city near the border with France.

Following the dog's warning, police officers opened the passenger’s two bags and found huge piles of cash.

The Chinese national was unable to explain the origin of the money. She was temporarily detained and the money was seized by the police.

Florence's prosecution office has launched an investigation into the incident.

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