Puppies used as heroin mules intercepted in 2006

In the past couple of decades, law enforcement agencies have noticed an increase in the number of legitimate animal transportations being used to smuggle narcotics. Drug smugglers have tried to transport enormous quantities of various narcotics using pets and wildlife, but most of the cases were successfully revealed by the authorities. Some attempts were rather inventive and smart, but some were significantly less subtle.

1993: The Police at Miami airport found almost 36 kilos of cocaine in a 1.5 meter long snake, which was still alive when the police discovered it. The Boa was stuffed with cocaine wrapped up in condoms. No one was charged as the police was unable to track the people behind this fiendish drug smuggling case.

2004: Peruvian police discovered almost 700 kilos of cocaine in a giant frozen squid. Smugglers attempted to ship it to the USA via Mexico. Thanks to police sniffer dogs, seven suspects were arrested.

2005: Police in Colombia found six puppies in a countryside property, all with identical scars on their abdomens. Ultrasound scans discovered bags of liquid heroin hidden inside the dogs. An investigation revealed that the smugglers planned to retrieve the drug after the dogs had passed the customs check.

2007: After the 1993 Boa case, drug smugglers become even more creative and inventive. Custom officials in Amsterdam discovered a strange shipment from Peru – 100 dead beetles stuffed with total of 300 grams of cocaine.

2010: Columbian police discovered a parrot trained to act as a lookout for a drugs gang. As soon as the parrot spotted the police, it started to yell “Run, run!” Despite this well trained watch-bird, police managed to arrest two people involved in drug trafficking, and to capture the parrot as well. All three are now jail birds.

2011: Columbian drug traffickers seem to love using birds. Just a few weeks ago, a pigeon was discovered transporting marijuana to inmates in Bucaramanga prison. Apparently, the baggage was too heavy for poor bird and it crash-landed near the prison. Police caught the bird and discovered that almost 45 grams of marijuana was stored in a bag strapped to the pigeon’s back.

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