Sniffer dogs at Chisinau Airport have been increasingly busy in recent months, hunting for cash that could signal Russian interference in Moldovan politics.

Ami, a black retriever, meticulously sniffs every suitcase rolling onto the baggage claim belts. When she detects cash, she freezes. Earlier this year, Ami was freezing a lot.

In May, customs officers began noticing large sums of money on passengers arriving from connecting flights via Moscow. Moldovans, many of whom had never traveled abroad before, were returning from short trips to Russia with stacks of cash.

“Almost every passenger had money—2,000, 3,000, 7,000 euros,” recalled Ruslan Alexandrov, head of customs at Chisinau Airport. While the amounts were legal, the circumstances raised suspicion.

“There were certain flights: Moscow-Istanbul-Chisinau, Moscow-Yerevan-Chisinau,” Alexandrov explained. “It’s unusual for people to carry that much cash, especially from Moscow.”

Authorities began seizing the money. On one day alone, they confiscated $1.5 million (£1.2 million). Curiously, none of the passengers ever came forward to claim the money.

Officials believe these individuals were part of a larger scheme to buy political influence, orchestrated by Ilan Shor, a fugitive Moldovan oligarch convicted of major fraud. Shor now resides in Russia, which has refused to extradite him.