Troopers, K-9 cracking down on Ohio Turnpike drug runners

CLEVELAND - There’s more than truckers and travelers using the nearly 250 mile stretch of the Ohio Turnpike. Heroin, cocaine, pot and pills.

Drug-running operations are using the Ohio Turnpike as a major drug pipeline, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol is shutting down their shipments.

Troopers had several big busts this week and last week. Training has improved for troopers on recognizing human behavior of criminals. Turns out, drug runners even drive differently when their nervous.

Troopers made a huge pot bust when they stopped a 1988 Buick near Vermilion. It was a load of homegrown hydroponic marijuana. Two more busts on the Turnpike netted a huge heroin and Xanax bust.

Troopers found $15 million worth of cocaine hidden in the floor of a motor home on the turnpike near Toledo last month. Troopers said drug runners use the turnpike to haul drugs from the west and southwest U.S. to the east coast.

Old cars, new cars, daytime, nighttime, Ohio plates, out of state plates. drug runners use different methods but they try so hard to fit into traffic they stand out.

"They try to do so much to move in with the flow of traffic that their reaction to the site of law enforcement brings it out. These individuals can't control their movements and over reactions due to nervousness that it brings attention to their driving," said Staff Lt. Monte Morgan.

Troopers can't talk about all of their training methods, but when they suspect drugs they call in a K-9 unit. That's not new, but the breed of dog and type of training are.

Argo is the first full-time, drug sniffing dog, assigned to the Berea Post which is the administrative headquarters for the Ohio Turnpike. Argo is a Malinois, a Belgian Shepherd from the Netherlands, 10 weeks of training in Columbus, and takes commands from trooper Mike Trader in Dutch.

His rookie year was so successful, Argo has his own highlight wall at the post with pictures of his drug busts over the last year.

"I think our success is based upon our training and troopers and our tools, which are the K-9s that we have working on the Ohio Turnpike and we recently trained our troopers in the whole state on criminal detection techniques," Staff Lt. Morgan said.

Unlike many police dogs, a Malinois, like Argo, is trained to bark and hold. Meaning, the dog decides whether to bark and intimidate a suspect who is surrendering, or to bite and hold a suspect who is fleeing opposed to just biting a suspect who is trying to surrender.

Troopers said it's an amazing advancement in K-9 training. Troopers said three of the last four drug shipments they busted up were passing through Ohio and not being delivered to Ohio.