Drug-Smuggling Cat Apprehended in Costa Rica
A black and white cat has been picked up by guards at a prison in Costa Rica and found to be carrying some hefty contraband.
The cat, which was spotted as it attempted to hop the perimeter fence at night, was discovered to have 67 grams (2.4 ounces) of crack cocaine, 230 grams (8 ounces) of cannabis, and rolling papers strapped to its back.
Officers at Pococi Penitentiary rescued the animal on Tuesday after removing the packages that had been taped to it, and confiscating the drugs.
'Thanks to the swift actions of the responding officers, the cat was caught and the packages removed—preventing the drugs from reaching their intended destination," the Costa Rican Ministry of Justice shared in a statement.
In a video shared by the Ministry, guards can be seen catching the animal as it traverses a fence topped with razor wire. Later, they are shown to be carefully cutting the drugs from the cat's body while stroking the kitty to keep it calm.
Cats and other animals are frequently used by drug traffickers to carry illicit substances. The website Insight Crime reports that cats have been used to get drugs into prisons in Panama and Russia, with inmates attracting the animals using treats. Carrier pigeons have also been used by gangs in Argentina and Costa Rica to smuggle drugs and other contraband into prisons.
Sadly, drug gangs are increasingly using livestock to traffic their wares, often with horrific outcomes. The cattle are forced to swallow drugs before being taken across borders with the contraband hidden in their stomachs. In 2021, a ship carrying 4,000 livestock from Colombia was stopped in Spain with many of the drug-packed animals discovered to be dead or dying. A second ship, carrying 5,000 cattle, was discovered in similar circumstances in the Canary Islands at around the same time.
Thankfully, this latest story appears to have a happy ending as the BBC reports that the Costa Rican prison-breaker was handed over to the National Animal Health Service after its dalliance with dealing.
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