Special to The News

AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Public Safety on Friday graduated five Troopers and five canines from an eight-week training program. These canine teams will join 42 other DPS teams stationed throughout Texas, including seven explosive-detection teams stationed in Austin.

“The department’s expertly trained canine teams play an essential role in detecting and deterring drug trafficking and other criminal activity,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “The canine teams joining our ranks will be a tremendous asset, and we are confident that their specialized skills will help make Texas a safer place.”

The breeds include two Labrador Retrievers, two Belgian Malinois and one Dutch Shepherd. Four of the newly trained canines will be used for drug detection, and one will be used for explosive detection. One of the dogs was obtained from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The new dogs and their duty stations are as follows: Chloe, Big Spring; Eros, Rio Grande City; Byrd, Alice; Chakal, Junction; and Jake, Austin.

In the first nine months of 2018, DPS canine teams assisted in the seizure of about:

• 5,100 pounds of marijuana
• 203 pounds of cocaine
• 85 pounds of heroin
• 103 pounds of methamphetamine
• 436 pounds of hashish
• $4 million in cash.