Pigeon seen smuggling cannabis into Peruvian prison

The pigeon has been sent to an animal shelter to help it “resocialize” and leave behind its delivery days.

The noble, albeit now often-maligned, pigeon has been used as a message carrier during chariot races to times of war. That may be why someone in Peru tried using the bird’s impressive homing abilities to fly weed into a prison.

Perhaps parched, the cannabis-carrying bird was spotted this week when it touched down on the grounds of the Huancayo Penitentiary near the administrative building to drink some water from a puddle there.

In a tweet, the Peruvian National Police reported officers found the bird, which had a “circular package containing marijuana tied around its neck,” near the prison’s main door. The incident reportedly occurred at about 4:00 p.m. outside the prison’s administrative office.

“The little bird was put in a safe place,” a translation of the tweet assures.

Upon catching the bird, agents saw that the delivery package was made of a light blue fabric that had been wrapped in duct tape, according to Newsbeezer. To the surprise of all involved, the package held “dry green seeds, stems and leaves with a characteristic marijuana smell,” the publication reports.

Media reports indicate the package contained 30 to 40 grams of cannabis, the recreational form of which remains illegal in Peru. As for medicinal marijuana, growing, importing and commercialization the plant is exclusively reserved for the Peruvian state, per CMS, a firm that offers legal and tax expertise.

The amount, though, is light enough to allow the pigeon to fly, Colonel Eduan Díaz of the Peruvian National Police notes in a clip posted by Global News, adding that the estimate at the time was 10 to 30 grams of weed.

Citing the national police, The Global Frontier reports that agents with the National Penitentiary Institute of Peru believe the pigeon has been trained to transport drugs from outside to inside the prison. It is further suspected the bird was brought to the area by a relative of an inmate.

It appears the drugs were destined for the prison’s Pavilion D, where security officials report someone was earlier seen feeding a pigeon, notes Newsbreezer.

The pigeon has been sent to an animal shelter to help it “resocialize” and leave behind its delivery days.

“This is a new modality to enter prison under drugs,” the publication quotes Díaz as saying.

The investigation into the failed weed delivery is continuing and the local prosecutor has been informed.

Flying weed into prisons is hardly new, but these attempts are generally reserved for drones delivering goodies on both sides of the Canada and U.S. border.

For example, a 34-year-old man from Mississippi recently pleaded to possession with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana following his failed bid to deliver about 60 grams of cannabis inside the gates of the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in August 2020.