Drug dealers are renting garages in towns and villages, and often keeping animals in them, in their latest attempt to stay one step ahead of the police.

The animals are used for a specific purpose: to prevent police dogs from sniffing out the drugs, The Sunday Times of Malta has been told.

A senior police source who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity said criminals involved in drug dealing were always looking to become more organised and to stay “one step ahead”.

The source said a recent trend was for drug peddlers to rent empty garages in ordinary towns and villages rather than in well-known hot-spots such as Marsa.

By blending in with the rest of the community, they hoped not to raise suspicion

By blending in with the rest of the community, they hoped not to raise suspicion. They would put up ‘no parking’ or similar signs to give the impression of an ordinary garage – rather than a den of drug trafficking.

According to the source, some of the dealers were now also housing animals in the garages they were renting in an attempt to distract police dogs and stop them from sniffing out the drugs concealed inside.

While such trends are becoming more popular, the source pointed out that it was difficult to tell what amount of drugs were moving through these garages since it was only when actual arrests and drug seizures were made that amounts could be quantified.

Just last month, the police arrested a group of 10 people in a raid on a garage in Qormi following a tip-off. In that case, the garage was turned into an apartment and drug users would use the place to purchase drugs as well as to make use of the illicit substances.

In January, police from different units seized a massive stash of cannabis, amounting to some 30 kilograms of the drug, as well as about €42,000 in cash in a raid on a garage in Ħamrun, arresting three men.