A police dog that took part in an operation in which 48 tons of marijuana were seized poses in front of packages containing the drug and weapons in Rio de Janeiro on April 8, 2026. Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty Images

Brazilian police seized a record 48 tons of marijuana in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, uncovered by chance by a sniffer dog during a regular operation against criminal factions.

During the operation in the Complexo da Mare, a large complex of favelas in the north of the city, a dog named Hulk indicated there was something suspicious under an abandoned water tank.

An officer "discovered a bunker inside where this entire quantity of drugs had been hidden," said Lt. Col. Luciano Pedro Barbosa, commander of the Canine Operations Battalion.

In a post on Instagram, the battalion touted the bust and posted an image of Hulk after the operation.

"Hulk deserves 48 tons of treats," quipped one commenter.

Barbosa told AFP the seizure was the largest in Brazil's history and "represents a financial loss of almost $10 million for the criminal faction involved."

"All of this was thanks to the work of the dog," he said. "It wasn't based on intelligence."

A military police statement said it took dozens of officers five hours to remove the drugs, which were transported in four trucks.

During the removal, officers came under fire from criminals "triggering a shootout" and leading to the arrest of a suspected gunman.

The previous record for the largest drug seizure in Brazil was in 2021 when highway police seized 36.5 tons in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

The police operation, launched Tuesday, involved 250 military police officers, who also seized five rifles, four pistols and 26 stolen vehicles, including cars and motorcycles.

Police posted video of the operation showing Hulk at work and officers seizing evidence.

Large swaths of Rio de Janeiro — mainly low-income, densely populated communities — are under the control of criminal factions who engage in drug trafficking and other crimes.

Police dogs routinely help investigators uncover drugs around the world. Last July, a K-9 sniffed out $1 million worth of cocaine in a Chicago drug bust. In December 2023, police dogs helped detect over $10 million of drugs hidden in jalapeno paste at the U.S.-Mexico border. Earlier that year, an Italian K-9 helped sniff out three tons of cocaine hidden in a case of bananas in the port of Gioia Tauro.

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