Nose for trouble: Human-canine duo fight drugs
After a shift, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Deputy A.J. Noriega and his K9 Candice play with a ball. Photo by Amy Byres.
A day in the life of a deputy from the K9 unit is something to bark about.
Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office Deputy A.J. Noriega is K9 Candice’s handler. The two mainly patrol Interstate-25 in hopes of catching drugs, human trafficking and other offenses.
Candice is a narcotics detection dog, he said.
“I feel tremendous when we capture drugs, even the small amounts of drugs,” Noriega said.
A batch of drugs intercepted could have prevented someone overdosing and a family losing a member, he said.