A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service K9 officer is being hailed a hero for catching a suspect during a marijuana raid in August.
When an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois named Ice and his handler, Patrol Captain Christopher Magallon, raided an illegal marijuana crop last month, they unearthed more than 5,500 marijuana plants in the Klamath National Forest in California.
According to the USDA, growing any nonnative crop in a forest area can destroy an ecosystem and harm the surrounding wildlife.
When a suspect fled down a hill during the raid, Magallon released Ice to go after him, the USDA said.
Ice was then able to catch and pin down the suspect until Magallon could arrest him, but not before Ice was stabbed nine times.
Magallon performed first aid on his canine partner until he could be flown by helicopter more than 70 miles away to a veterinary specialty center for treatment of his wounds.
His survival was uncertain at the time, but, luckily, Ice was…
