A drug trafficking mafia has put a bounty of 200 million Colombian pesos ($70,000 USD) on a drug-sniffing police dog named Sombra, according to Colombian police.
Jorge Nieto, the director general of Colombia's national police force, Policía Nacional de Colombia, said the police has been informed that there's a hit on one of their top drug-sniffing dogs: a 6-year-old German shepherd named Sombra.
Sombra has been with the police force since she was a puppy, and her name means "shadow" in Spanish.
Sombra has sniffed out more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine hidden in suitcases, boats, and large shipments of fruit, the Associated Press reported.
She also has helped with the capture of at least 245 criminals.
The cartel is apparently so threatened by Sombra that there is an active threat to capture or kill the dog.
Earlier this year, investigators intercepted a phone call between traffickers making a threat against Sombra, the AP reported.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Policía Nacional de Colombia.
"We are responsible for her safety," officer Jose Rojas, Sombra's 25-year-old handler, told the AP. Police are planning to strategically move Sombra around the country so she can continue to fight drug trafficking undetected.
"The fact they want to hurt Sombra and offer such a high reward for her capture or death shows the impact she’s had on their profits," a police spokesperson told the Telegraph.
AP is reporting that Sombra will be transported in a van with tinted windows and accompanied by two armed guards. She'll also be routinely rotated around different posts so she can continue to do her job.
On social media, Colombian police are constantly boasting about Sombra's overachievement and said she's "[become] the torment" of drug lords.
Nuestro can "Sombra" fue la mejor durante los entrenamientos en detección de drogas ilícitas, en los últimos tres años se convirtió en el tormento de "Otoniel" incautandole 9 toneladas de cocaína #ConozcaMás a "Sombra" en el desfile #20DeJulio #COLOMBIAunasolaFuerza https://t.co/a6tWpjkdiQ