Rick’s constant barking near the car meant that he had found something that the police would be interested in. After the police dog inspected the vehicle and alerted to the whereabouts of illicit substances, officer Ramirez and his team took a look at the car for themselves. What they saw was unlike anything they had seen before, and they wouldn’t have found it if not for the dog on their team.

Rick the Dog Was Unique

Rick was a police dog trained to pick up the scent of illegal drugs. He was beloved by the police department he worked with and even had some popularity on Instagram. His training had been intense and he was widely regarded as the best drug-sniffing dog on the force.

Rick Was Busy

As a result of his keen drug-detecting skills, Rick was busy and used by the police pretty regularly. Rick worked with a team that was tasked with stopping illegal drugs from being smuggled into the United States from Mexico so he often worked near the southern border.

Something Peculiar Happened

On a typical day, Rick was brought out to smell a car that had been pulled over. The driver didn’t have a license and had several prior arrests for drug possession. The police suspected this person might be a drug smuggler. So Rick was brought in to see if he could detect anything in the car.

Rick Found Something

As Rick searched the vehicle thoroughly, he kept coming back to one particular spot under the side passenger seat. Police believed Rick had detected the presence of illegal drugs, so they began taking apart the interior of the car to see if anything was hidden underneath the seat.

A Shocking Find

The police spent a while tearing apart the inside of the vehicle. They took off the seats, dug into the insides of the interior, and even searched through all the cushions and headrests. To their shock and surprise, they found nothing. It didn’t make any sense to them at all.

Was Rick Wrong?

Rick had never been wrong before. Whenever he fixated on a specific area, the police would always find drugs hidden in that spot. So when they turned up nothing after tearing apart the car, they were stunned. Was Rick wrong for the first time? Or was there something else going on here?

The Cops Deliberate

The police huddled together to try to figure out what had happened. Was there anything they were missing? Had they not fully taken apart the car? They wondered whether they should keep digging through the vehicle but thought it might be a waste of time. At this point, if drugs were hidden under the passenger seat, they should’ve found it.

A Plan of Action

Reluctantly, the police called off the search. They decided Rick must’ve been wrong this time. Despite the suspect’s prior convictions and Rick’s detection, it looked like there was nothing here to investigate further. The suspect was angry at the cops and gloated at their failed search of his vehicle.

The Suspect Starts Yelling

When he realized the cops were calling off their search, the suspect berated them with insults. He accused them of improperly searching his vehicles. Some of the officers were worried this could blow up into a situation. But they had followed protocol to the letter so they knew, despite the suspect’s complaints, they hadn’t done anything wrong.

Officer Ramirez is Stumped

Officer Ramirez worked with Rick extensively. He was shocked that Rick had falsely detected hidden drugs in the suspect’s car. He kept thinking about the incident for the next few days, wondering if Rick was wrong or if something else might’ve happened. He couldn’t get the incident out of his mind.

Ramirez Investigates

Although his colleagues told him to forget about the search, Ramirez couldn’t stop thinking about it. So he began investigating the suspect a bit more. He discovered that in addition to several prior convictions, the suspect also had family members who were known members of a Mexican drug cartel.

The Feared Drug Cartel

The drug cartel used to be associated with an infamous drug lord who had been captured by U.S. authorities and, after a long trial, sentenced to life in prison. This drug lord was known for being especially creative and had eluded authorities for decades before he was caught.

The Infamous Drug Lord’s Skills

This drug lord was especially good at hiding and smuggling drugs. He would often come up with elaborate schemes to successfully get drugs inside the U.S. It took the authorities many years to uncover some of his operations. But many of the operations were never discovered.

Ramirez Connects the Dots

As Ramirez learned all of this information, he couldn’t help but think the suspect had found an especially clever way to hide drugs inside his vehicle. Rick had never been wrong before. If this suspect was associated with the drug cartel known for its sophisticated smuggling operations, then perhaps Rick wasn’t wrong after all.

Rick Continues to be Right

Rick was still used to sniff out hidden drugs and every single time, he was right. Again and again, the police found drugs hidden in whatever spot Rick fixated upon. Rick’s track record continued to be perfect, except for that one incident. This convinced Ramirez that the suspect did indeed have drugs hidden somewhere in his vehicle. The police just failed to find them.

The Police Forget About the Incident

Everyone in the department forgot about the incident in which they couldn’t find drugs under the passenger seat that Rick identified. Every now and again, they might joke about that one time Rick was wrong. For the most part, things went on as normal. But Ramirez did not forget.

Ramirez Gets an Important Call

One day, Ramirez was out patrolling when he got a call over the police radio about a car being driven by a suspect who might be in possession of a stash of illegal firearms. Ramirez kept a close lookout for the car and suspect described on the police radio.

Ramirez Spots the Suspect

Just when he had given up hope of finding the suspect, he saw the car described on the police radio. He quickly pursued the suspect. He put on his lights and siren and pulled the suspect over in a back alley. Ramirez cautiously exited his vehicle, knowing the suspect might be armed.

Ramirez is Shocked by a Discovery

As Ramirez carefully approached the stopped car, he was shocked by what he saw. Driving the car was the same suspect from the previous drug search, the same suspect connected to the infamous drug cartel. Ramirez couldn’t believe it. As soon as he locked eyes with the suspect, the suspect hit the gas and sped off.

A Car Chase Ensues

Ramirez sprinted back to his police car and chased after the suspect. He called in for backup. He had only been in a car chase once before. As he carefully tried to keep up with the suspect, thoughts began racing through his mind. His instincts told him this suspect was up to something big.

Ramirez Chases the Suspect Through a Neighborhood

The suspect turned into a quiet residential neighborhood. At this point, the suspect was beginning to lose control of his vehicle. He was swerving. Ramirez was concerned the suspect might hit someone outside. The suspect collided with a mailbox but kept speeding ahead. Ramirez was close behind.

Backup Arrives

Then backup arrived. A second police car came racing towards the suspect from the other direction and was able to box the suspect in. The suspect hit the brakes and his car came to a screeching halt. The suspect lept out of the car and sprinted towards the woods.

Ramirez Chases the Suspect on Foot

Ramirez hit the brakes and jumped out of his car, chasing the suspect on foot into the woods. Luckily, Ramirez was in good shape and could keep up with the fast-moving suspect. There was a hiking trail through the woods that the suspect ran down. Ramirez was in close pursuit.

Ramirez Tackles the Suspect

As they both ran down the hiking trail, Ramirez could tell he was gaining on the suspect. When he was close enough, he tackled the suspect to the ground. The suspect was out of breath and exhausted from the chase. Ramirez quickly put handcuffs on the suspect and called for backup.

The Suspect is Searched

With the suspect on the ground, Ramirez and another officer who came as backup searched the suspect. They found a small amount of illegal substances and some drug paraphernalia on him. They took the suspect back to his car as more officers arrived on the scene. Rick the dog was brought in to search the vehicle.

Rick Searches Again

Rick searched the vehicle high and low. Ramirez was eager to see if Rick found anything. Ramirez still felt that the suspect was adept at hiding drugs in vehicles. This time, he wanted to make sure that if Rick detected anything, they searched the car as thoroughly as possible.

Rick Finds Something

Just like last time, Rick became fixated upon the side passenger seat. So the police tore apart the car once again. Ramirez joined in the search, convinced they would find something this time. Hours went by. Nothing. Ramirez couldn’t believe it. It just didn’t make sense. How could Rick be wrong twice with the same suspect?

Ramirez is Despondent

Ramirez couldn’t make sense of it. This suspect had fled, was suspected of possessing illegal firearms, was convicted of prior offenses, and had connections to an infamous drug cartel. Plus, Rick always fixated upon the side passenger seat. How was it that the police never found illegal drugs when they searched the suspect’s vehicle?

The Police Give Up

The police eventually gave up searching the suspect’s car. They had plenty to charge him with. Ramirez’s fellow officers agreed it was odd that Rick once again smelled something under the side passenger seat but the search turned up nothing. There wasn’t much they could do it about, just like last time.

The Suspect is Sentenced

After a long trial, the suspect was found guilty of some crimes but avoided being charged with some others. He was sentenced to prison for 3 years. Ramirez felt good that a dangerous suspect had been put away. But he still had come no closer to solving the mystery of why they couldn’t find illegal drugs in the suspect’s car.

Years Go By

Years went by. The suspect served out his sentence. Ramirez continued his job on the force as usual. The more time that went by, the less Ramirez thought about the suspect. But every now and again, he would be reminded of the incident and still felt that there was a mystery he hadn’t solved.

The Suspect’s Brother

On a relatively routine day, Ramirez was called to investigate a domestic dispute at someone’s home. When he arrived and began talking to one of the people there, he realized he was speaking to the suspect’s brother. The suspect’s brother worked for the sewer department and had no prior arrests.

A Long Talk

Ramirez talked with the suspect’s brother for a while. He found the brother to be a relatively normal person with no obvious indication of being a career criminal. Ramirez figured that perhaps one brother had done well in life while the other had gone down a bad path.  

He Realizes Something
Source: Cropped

After talking with the suspect’s brother, Ramirez realized that the suspect was due to be released from prison any day now. It had been three years since the suspect was put behind bars. Ramirez wondered if he would ever meet this suspect again. Then, one day, he did.

Investigating a Strange Incident

Ramirez was assigned to investigate a strange report. A woman had called the police because she saw a man parked on the street for some time. The man seemed suspicious and had a firearm in the backseat. Ramirez thought it might just be some wayward teen causing trouble.

Ramirez Arrives on the Scene

As Ramirez arrived on the scene, he was shocked at what he saw. It was the suspect again. The suspect and Ramirez hadn’t seen each other for years. But they both immediately recognized each other. Ramirez had hoped the suspect would ditch the criminal lifestyle but apparently he hadn’t.

Questioning the Suspect

Ramirez began to question the suspect. As he did, he could tell the suspect was out of sorts and probably under the influence of some sort of substance. He saw, in plain view, a firearm located in the suspect’s back seat. Not only had the suspect not learned anything from his time in prison, but he was getting worse at being a criminal.

Ramirez Calls for Backup

Ramirez called for backup. Rick the dog came and searched the car. At this point, Ramirez felt like it was predictable what would happen. Once again, he thought, Rick would fixate on the side passenger seat. And once again, they would tear apart the car only to find nothing.

Rick Smells Something

As Ramirez predicted, Rick smelled something under the side passenger seat again. The police tore apart the vehicle but found nothing. Ramirez expected all this would happen but was still frustrated by it. Then, he got an idea. It was an idea he couldn’t believe they hadn’t tried before.

Ramirez Has An Idea

Ramriez got the suspect’s keys and drove the car forward a bit. As he did, Rick suddenly started barking and chasing after the car. The police had never seen Rick do this before. No matter how much they tried to calm Rick down, he wouldn’t stop chasing after the vehicle.

Ramirez Shocks Everyone

Underneath where the car had previously been parked was a manhole cover. The police wondered what Ramirez was up to but could tell he had an idea. As Ramirez exited the vehicle and looked down at the manhole cover, he suddenly figured everything out. It all came to him in a lightbulb moment.

The Cops Search Underneath the Car

Ramirez suddenly dropped down and crawled underneath the suspect’s car. He began banging hard underneath the side passenger’s seat. Ramirez’s fellow officers were beyond confused. Suddenly, they heard a loud plop. Ramirez crawled back out from underneath the car holding a round piece of the car floor.

Ramirez is Excited

Ramirez held up the round car piece. “I finally figured out how this suspect has been smuggling drugs,” Ramirez announced. The other officers were baffled. Ramirez walked over to the manhole cover and lifted it open. He and the other officers looked down and were stunned at what they saw.

Stunning His Fellow Officers

Inside the underground sewer was a stockpile of illegal drugs. The cops were shocked as they pieced it all together. The suspect would park his car over a manhole cover, open up the floor of the car underneath the side passenger seat, and drop the drugs into the sewer through the manhole opening.

The Mystery Unravels

Rick the dog had been right all along. There were trace amounts of drugs in the car. But the police could never find the smuggled drugs because they were always secretly dropped into the sewer. But how on earth did Ramirez realize this, the officers wondered. The key was the suspect’s brother.

Ramirez Cracks the Case

Ramirez explained that he had met the suspect’s brother, who worked for the sewer department. As soon as he saw the manhole cover, he knew what was happening. The suspect’s brother would retrieve the drugs once the suspect secretly dropped them through the manhole opening into the sewer.

Mystery Solved

Ramirez had at long last figured out the whole scheme. The suspect was arrested and admitted to everything. He had learned how to cleverly smuggle drugs from his associates at the cartel. He devised a scheme, along with his brother at the sewer department, to hide and smuggle drugs in the sewer system.

A Plan Thwarted

This sewer smuggling operation had been going on for years. All that time Ramirez’s instincts told him that Rick wasn’t wrong and that there had been drugs in the car… and it turned out he was right. Rick was never wrong and neither were Ramirez’s instincts. Thanks to his refusal to give up, Ramirez had figured it all out.

The Suspect is Sent to Prison

Before long, both the suspect and the suspect’s brother were behind bars and Ramirez was promoted. Rick the dog was even awarded with a special badge of honor for his work. All this time, Rick had been right and could smell exactly where the drugs had been. It was a remarkable case and Ramirez became something of a local hero when the newspapers wrote about the whole sewer operation.

Rick Was Never Wrong

In the end, it turned out that Rick the dog was never wrong. The police had doubted the loyal dog’s abilities several times. But because Ramirez put his faith in this canine, a drug smuggling operation was uncovered and unraveled. Ramirez would later adopt Rick when Rick retired from duty on the force. They still live together to this day, the perfect crime-solving duo.

The events of this story are entirely fictional and are products of the author’s imagination. Images included are meant for illustration purposes only. Any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.