Monaco’s Public Safety directorate introduced two new recruits this week, Boika and Tyson, in a ceremony attended by Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene…
The pair, a Belgian Malinois and a Dutch Shepherd, join the principality’s first dedicated canine brigade and are already proving their worth across public-order and financial-crime missions.
Boika, two years old, is trained primarily for explosives detection and public-order support, while Tyson, three, brings a rarer skill: he has been trained to detect banknotes alongside drugs and weapons. That capacity to “smell cash” is more than a party trick. In a place where high-value transactions are routine and anti-money-laundering vigilance is central, Tyson’s nose will be deployed at ports of entry, large events and targeted operations; a practical tool in Monaco’s broader AML strategy.
Handlers stressed that the dogs operate within legal safeguards and alongside specialist investigators; the animals speed searches, reduce risks to officers and can provide leads that complement forensic and financial probes. Since their training at the national canine centre in France, the duos have already assisted operations during the Grand Prix and other major events.
Monaco presents the new brigade as a dual investment: boosting everyday public safety while shoring up the principality’s financial resilience. At a sensitive moment for international tariff and financial-compliance negotiations, and with recent FATF scrutiny of jurisdictions worldwide, a dog that can find cash is both symbol and substance of a tightened, modern approach to law enforcement. Authorities confirm the dogs will serve year-round regularly.
Image: Monaco Info IG
