Meet Max: The Semar Bloodhound that Sniffed Out Rafael Caro Quintero

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Rafael Caro Quintero was discovered hiding in the bushes of the Sinaloa mountains thanks to Max aka La Perrita de Perros.

During the afternoon of this July 15, the Secretary of the Navy of Mexico (Semar) confirmed the apprehension of the famous drug trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero, co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, who was found in the town of San Simón, in Choix, Sinaloa.

He was hidden in the Sierra de Sinaloa, in the mountains around Badiraguato. The United States intelligence services detected him months ago and finally, on the fourteenth attempt, the Mexican Navy arrested Rafael Caro Quintero. Mexico’s Navy and Attorney’s General Office led the operation deep in the mountains that straddle the border between Sinaloa and Chihuahua states, many miles from any paved road.

Through a statement, Semar reported that the "target was located in the bushes by a canine element of this Institution," which they detailed was Max, a six-year-old dog with extensive experience within the Navy.

Max is a female of the Bloodhound breed and is distinguished by her extensive tracking ability, for which she specialized in the search for weapons and money in the field, which is why she was included in Friday's successful operation.

It was in 2019 when the Secretary of the Navy presented Max together with Green, the two Bloodhound canines that joined the force, and that from the beginning had the search and rescue mission in open spaces, with the necessary training to find people in risky situations.

Max joined Semar with the aim of continuing the search and rescue protocols of the Urban Search and Rescue Unit (USAR) of the Mexican Armed Forces.

The dog was born on April 20, 2016, and currently weighs 35.5 kilos. However, according to Semar, she is projected to retire in 2023, so she is in the final stretch of her career within the canine pairs team.

As already mentioned, Max is of the Bloodhound breed, which is also known as a "hound" and has recently specialized in this type of mission with success with a specialty in people, unlike other breeds, since they can also have their specification in search and rescue at sea, detection of narcotics and explosives.

In this way, Max joins other Mexican canines that have moved to the country for their role in rescues, with Frida as the main reference after her work after the earthquake that shook Mexico City in September 2017.

A Bloodhound named Trumpet won Best in Show.

It should be noted that a Bloodhound named Trumpet recently won the coveted title of Best in Show at the 2022 Westminster Dog Show.

Sources: Infobae, Borderland Beat, Westminster Dog Show, Proceso

Graphics by HEARST