Governor Leon Guerrero Approves Federal Funds for Next K-9 Batch Acquisition

Hagåtña, Guam – The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio Administration is pleased to announce the arrival of four drug detector dogs to Guam. Two of the canines will be assigned to the Port Authority of Guam, and two will be assigned to the A. B. Won Pat International Airport. Before beginning their drug interdiction work at Guam’s borders, the dogs will spend the next few weeks in isolation and quarantine at the Guam Customs Drug Detector Dog Unit where they await clearance from the island’s territorial veterinarian. The four canines–Dome, India, Viki, and Szep–are doing well and adjusting to their new home. Their journey to Guam began in New Smyrna Beach, Florida on May 8, 2022.

“One of the priorities of Guam Customs in the illicit drug control strategy is the denial of the illicit drug supply. With the arrival of these new dogs, our Customs officers have an additional tool to control the flow of drugs into Guam,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. “I want to extend a sincere thank you to the employees of the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency and Director Ike Peredo for their tireless work on this effort and Guam Attorney General Leevin Camacho for his generous and productive partnership to finally get these canines to Guam.”

“Stopping illegal drugs from entering our shores is one of the cornerstones of our strategy to combat the scourge of drug use that has impacted the lives of so many families,” added Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio. To further address this issue, our Administration has expanded drug treatment programs and education.”

The arrival of these canines culminates years of arduous acquisition pursuits strained by animal travel restrictions imposed by the airlines’ COVID-19 cargo transport prohibitions and the expiration of grant funds due to the time lapsed because of the lack of airline cargo animal transport services. During this time, Guam Customs sought various options to transport the dogs to include investigating using U.S. military air cargo transport assistance to bring these dogs to Guam. After the expiration of grant funds, Attorney General Camacho made the decision to cover the costs of purchasing the dogs and the freight charge for their transportation. The dogs were brought or evaen in through a chartered cargo flight commenced by Animal Travel Agent Lisa Meador, specifically for the transport of animals.

The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio Administration will use an additional $79,851 in federal funding for the purpose of carrying out Guam’s FY 2020 Drug Detector Dog Unit (DDDU) Task Force Project. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice through the FY 2020 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.

The $79,851 in funding will cover the acquisition of an additional four detector dogs at $11,750 each, as well as money for rodent and pest control services for the entire DDDU compound and kennel area; quarterly preventative maintenance for cleaning, servicing, and repair of A/Cs  for the kennel, mobile dog trailers, dog food and supply storage area; preventative maintenance and repair of DDU vehicles and trailers; and for bi-annual DD health checks, emergency procedures, and dental procedures through veterinarian services.

For more information, contact Guam Customs and Quarantine Director Ike Peredo at (671) 475-6202.

####

Skip to content