10-Year-Old Girl Wins Science Fair With Three Dogs And Cocaine

A 10-year-old girl won first place in a science fair at Coral Gables Preparatory Academy in Miami for her "Drug Sniffing Dogs" project.

The experiment involved three drug-sniffing dogs and one ounce of powder cocaine, The Miami Herald's David Smiley reports.

The dogs had to find the cocaine, which was hidden in a metal box inside of a room. The purpose of the test was to see which furry drug-buster could sniff out the cocaine in the least amount of time. One of the dogs, a retired chocolate Labrador named Franky, used his well-trained snout to find the illegal substance in just 43 seconds.

Now you might ask: "How did a fourth-grader come into possession of three drug-sniffing dogs and 28 grams of cocaine?"

It turns out Emma Bartelt's father, Douglas Bartelt, is a detective with the Miami-Dade Police. The narcotics department generously provided Douglas' daughter with the live animals and the drugs. The exercise was conducted at police facilities under the supervision of Emma's father, The Herald writes.

Emma's mom also assured the paper that her daughter never touched the drugs. A school district spokesman said in a statement that Emma documented the search, according to The Herald.