Paw Patrol: Feline drug smuggler caught on prison narcatics run

A photo of the cat with white bags tied to its body - Panama's Prosecutor Office/AFP 
A photo of the cat with white bags tied to its body - Panama's Prosecutor Office/AFP

It could have been the purrfect crime but an unlikely drug smuggler's journey was put on paws on Friday when it was intercepted by authorities in Panama.

The fluffy white cat, concealing an assortment of drugs tied to its belly, was apprehended as it attempted to enter a prison.

The feline felon was stopped outside the Nueva Esperanza jail, which houses more than 1,700 prisoners, north of Panama City.

"The animal had a cloth tied around its neck" that contained wrapped packages of white powder, leaves and "vegetable matter", according to Andres Gutierrez, head of the Panama Penitentiary System.

They were likely cocaine, crack and marijuana, according to another official.

A selection of packages found tied to the cat's body - Panama's Prosecutor Office/AFP
A selection of packages found tied to the cat's body - Panama's Prosecutor Office/AFP

It is not the first time such a nefurious crime has been attempted. Animal accomplices are sometimes loaded with drugs on the outside before prisoners use food to lure them in.

But this time the narcatics mule was caught in the act. It had its mugshot taken and will be given to an adoption centre, according to prosecutor Eduardo Rodriguez.

The office of the drugs prosecutor in the area said on Twitter it had opened an investigation into the use of animals for smuggling illegal substances into the Nueva Esperanza Prison.

On previous occasions, authorities have intercepted attempted drug deliveries using homing pigeons and even drones.