Authorities in Panama on Friday intercepted an unlikely smuggler, a soft white cat, with a variety of drugs in a bag tied to his body as he tried to enter the prison.
The culprit was stopped outside the Nueva Esperanza Prison, which houses more than 1,700 prisoners, in the Caribbean province of Colon, north of the capital Panama City.
“The animal has tied a cloth around its neck” containing packages of white powder, leaves and ‘vegetable material’, according to Andres Gutierrez, head of the Panamanian Penitentiary System.
According to another official, it was probably cocaine, crack and marijuana.
This is not the first attempt at crime.
Prisoners use food to lure animals to them once the creatures have been loaded by humans on the outside.
The office of Colon’s drug prosecutor said on Twitter that he had launched an investigation into the use of animals for smuggling illegal drugs to the Nueva Esperanza prison.
It posted photos of the drugs and of the cat caught during the act.
According to prosecutor Eduardo Rodriguez, the animal will be taken to a pet adoption center.
Panama has about 18,000 inmates in 23 prisons, most of which are overcrowded.
On previous occasions, authorities have attempted to intercept drug deliveries using pigeons and even drones.
jjr / mlr / mdl