With spring break just around the corner, and summer not far behind that, people are beginning to think about traveling.

 

The Problem

When I was 23, I traveled overseas alone for the first time. Thanks to the research and planning I did before leaving, my trip went smoothly. I was prepared for everything . . . or so I thought. I was midway through the trip when I realized I had a problem. My suitcase wasn’t large enough for my clothes and all the gifts and books I was buying.

So, I purchased an expandable, soft-sided bag. When I packed for the flight home, I put my dirty clothes in the new bag—rough handling wouldn’t hurt them—and used my hard-sided suitcase to protect the books and gifts. But this simple solution led to a bigger problem.

Did You Know…

• If you get a book’s ISBN number, you can buy it online when you get home.
• Taking snacks with you not only saves on food costs but frees up extra space in your suitcase for your purchases.

 

The Bigger Problem

Having traveled overseas once before, I knew how to prepare for reentry into the U.S. I breezed through the paperwork on the plane, and hoped I could breeze as easily through Customs. No such luck. The first inkling of trouble came when only one suitcase—my original hardside—appeared at baggage claim. I half worried the new one had been lost. (Only “half” worried, since it just held clothes.)

I was at the point of filing a missing luggage report when an airport employee came out with several bags, including mine. Grabbing it, I headed to Customs. I got into the “Nothing to Declare” line, but when I reached the Customs agent, he sent me to the “To Declare” line. He said something about my bag being marked.

I dutifully did as he requested. I didn’t have a clue what was going on, but at that point, I was so tired I would have complied with whatever he’d asked.

Once again, I stood in line. When it was finally my turn, the Customs agent explained that drugs had been detected on my bag, and he needed to search it. Stunned, I could only stare at him. Drugs?

 

The Outcome

Of course, I gave him permission to search it. (Though I admit I was more than a little embarrassed and worried. How bad did my dirty clothes smell?)

As he searched, he asked questions. I answered. No, it hadn’t ever been out of my sight. No, no one had asked me to carry anything in it. I did share that it was a new bag, bought at a street market in England.

Finding no sign of drugs in my suitcase, and learning where it came from, he told me it could have been used to transport drugs before I bought it. Or it could have absorbed the smell from a nearby source in the market. However the drug smell came to be on my bag, I wasn’t guilty of smuggling drugs, and he waved me on through.

Did You Know…

• A drug smell will “travel” further with warm moist air than cold air.
• The smell of drugs can also be transferred by touch.

 

Next Trip

Arriving home, I unpacked the “drug” bag and immediately banished it to the back of my closet. Years later, as I prepared for another trip to England, I considered taking that foldable, soft-sided bag with me. But before I did, I wanted to be completely sure the drug smell was gone.

I contacted the local police for help. When I arrived at the appointed time, I told Officer Harris my story. He instructed me to place the bag on the floor under a desk. Then he brought in his K-9 partner, Mac, a beautiful Golden Lab. To my relief, Mac didn’t alert to any drugs in the room. To show me how he’d react if the smell remained, Officer Harris took Mac out, then returned with a small amount of drugs he hid in a drawer. He retrieved Mac and once again put him to work. This time, Mac hit on the hidden drugs.

Like the Customs Agent, Officer Harris said there were several ways the smell of drugs could be transferred to the bag. He didn’t give me any specifics on how long the drug smell could linger, but he did share that a bag used to hold drugs during a high school training exercise was hit on by dogs in training exercises up to three months after the drugs had been removed.

Did You Know…

• Sniffer dogs can be trained to find human remains, wreck survivors, missing persons, explosives, firearms, illegal drugs, currency, electronics (thumb drives, hard drives, SD cards, etc.), ivory, cancer and other diseases, endangered wildlife, crop pests and diseases, and invasive species of both animals and plants.
• Sniffer dogs can also detect bed bugs.

 

Final Thoughts

The smell of drugs is like an invisible smoke. It can contaminate and leave its mark on items without your knowledge or consent. Something I’d never known or considered before that trip.

But just because a sniffer dog scents drugs on your suitcase, it doesn’t mean you’ll be arrested. It’s just the probable cause they need to search it. As Officer Harris said, if you aren’t transporting drugs, you have no reason to worry. Of course, he went on to add that you shouldn’t offer excuses, since that might make the officer suspicious. His advice? Just allow the officer to do his job and examine your bag. You’ll only be in trouble if he finds drugs.

In all my travels, domestic and abroad, that trip was the only time one of my bags was tagged. However, now that I know “clean” luggage can pick up drug smells from other sources, I’m better prepared should it happen again.

Did You Know…

• In 1888, when Jack the Ripper began terrorizing London, a bloodhound dog breeder offered his dogs to track the murderer. Unfortunately, by the time the police commissioner—under inordinate public pressure—decided to give the idea a try, the man and his dogs had left London.
• In 1899, training of pups to be officially used by police began in Ghent, Belgium. Soon the rest of Europe followed.
• The New York Police Commissioner sent an officer to Belgium to learn about Europe’s use of dogs. He returned with five Belgian shepherds. But mixed results kept the idea from taking off. The idea of police dogs returned after World War II, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the dog/handler training was refined, producing consistent and successful results.