Costa Rica is infamous for using narco cats and kittens to smuggle drugs. In a recent case, authorities caught a feline wrapped with intoxicating materials around its body.
Prison guards at the Pococí Penitentiary in Costa Rica noticed something unusual moving through the green area near the facility. On closer look, they spotted a black-and-white cat with two tightly sealed packages strapped to its furry body. The animal was carrying drugs, which were confiscated later.
The feline had bundles of over 235 grams of marijuana, 68 grams of crack paste, and some quantity of rolling papers attached to it, according to Saysdotcom. The items were immediately taken into custody, and the narco cat was handed over to Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service for evaluation.
The incident prompted an investigation into how the animal ended up carrying the drugs and the people responsible for the attempted delivery.
Visuals surface
The Ministry of Justice and Peace shared a video on Facebook to report the incident. The news quickly spread online, where social media users dubbed the animal “Narcomichi” — a combination of “narco” and "michi" a popular slang word for cat in Spanish-speaking countries.
The clip opened showing a cat sitting on a tree. A man, perhaps an authority, extended his arms and brought the animal down, only to discover it being used to smuggle drugs like marijuana and cocaine (also called crack).
Seconds later, the guards showed how they carefully took out the confiscated material from the cat's body. They observed that the drugs were tapped. The authorities gently made the animal to rest on a table and then they operated it with a scissors.
The video has since gone viral.
More details
There are several reports which highlight the significant issue of drug usage and smuggling in Costa Rica. Last year, The New York Times, released an article suggesting the tourist paradise had become a drug-trafficking spot with 21 tons of cocaine seized in 2023.
Meanwhile, a recent report in the Costa Rica Star titled 'Narco-Kittens: Pets in Costa Rican Prisons', pointed out that inmates use animals as drug couriers and messengers, with cats most often roaming freely with marijuana, cigarettes, cash, and hand-written messages.
