Prison guards in Costa Rica recently intercepted an unlikely drug trafficker: a black-and-white cat strapped with marijuana and heroin.
The feline was caught sneaking around the Pococí Penitentiary with two packages attached to its body, prompting an investigation into what officials say may be a coordinated smuggling operation.
According to the Ministry of Justice and Peace, the cat was carrying over 200 grams of marijuana and nearly 70 grams of heroin. Authorities believe the animal may have been trained or conditioned to enter the prison from the outside. Minister of Justice Fiorella Salazar Rojas called the incident “highly concerning,” noting that it points to a level of planning that exploits animals for criminal activity.
The cat, quickly nicknamed “Narcomichi” by social media users, was handed over to Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service for evaluation. Investigators are now reviewing surveillance footage to determine who may have released the cat and whether inmates were involved in coordinating the drop.
This isn’t the first time animals have been used to move drugs into prisons. Cats are often targeted for their ability to roam unnoticed, with traffickers attaching small bundles of drugs before luring them toward prison grounds with food or trained behavior.
