Cat intercepted with suspected cannabis near Colón prison
Prison guards and police intercepted a cat carrying suspected drugs near Nueva Esperanza prison in Colón, Panama. A drug prosecutor said the load might include marijuana alongside cocaine and crack; authorities opened an investigation and transferred the cat to an animal-protection foundation.
A cat carrying a bag of suspected drugs was intercepted outside a prison in
Colón on 16 April 2021.[1]Prison guards and police caught it near the
perimeter of Nueva Esperanza prison as it headed toward the fence.[2]The cat
was caught at a section of perimeter fence bordering Cuerpo de Bomberos
facilities.[3]The prison held more than 1,700 prisoners.[2]
Panama’s prison-system director Andrés Gutiérrez said a cloth tied around the
cat’s neck held packages containing plant material and white powder.[2]Colón
and Guna Yala drug prosecutor Eduardo Rodríguez said the substances might
include marijuana alongside cocaine and crack.[2]
After evidence was collected, authorities handed the cat to an animal-protection
foundation.[4]The Fiscalía de Drogas de Colón y Guna Yala opened an
investigation into the use of animals to carry illicit substances into Nueva
Esperanza.[2]Authorities suspected that people inside prisons might use food
to lure animals back carrying drugs.[2]Experts warned that drugs could be
attached to animals outside a prison or placed on them inside prison blocks.[2]
Photos and video
The cat intercepted with a bag of drugs near a prison in Colón. Photo: AFPPhoto details
TVN-2.comtvn-2.comESSorprenden a 'narcogato' cuando intentaba ingresar a cárcel de Colón
Cáñamocanamo.netESPillan a un gato introduciendo cocaína, crack y cannabis en una cárcel panameña
Open questions the AI reported
The sources differ on the number and description of the packages, and the suspected substances were not reported as laboratory-confirmed.
No amount or weight for the suspected cannabis was published.
No human suspect was identified or reported arrested, and the investigation's outcome was not reported.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in Cáñamo: Rodríguez told Telemetro that the six packets might comprise four bags of cocaine, one of crack and one of marijuana.
Panama’s Senafront border service seized 914 rectangular packages of suspected marijuana in Playa Muerto, Darién, detaining two people. The operation also netted phones, GPS devices and a twin-engine boat, with detainees and evidence handed to prosecutors.
Interpol's six-week Operation Orca XI across 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries seized 38.5 tonnes of marijuana alongside other drugs and 3,308 illegal firearms, with more than 8,700 people detained. The marijuana was part of multi-drug seizures reported in 10 participating countries between 15 October and 30 November 2025.
Colombia's police director, general William Salamanca, announced on 26 November 2024 that a joint operation south of Isla Jicarón, Veraguas, had seized 1,184 kilos of marijuana and 704 kilos of cocaine from a Go-Fast boat. Three people described as Nicaraguan and Costa Rican were captured and handed to Panamanian authorities.
Panama's border service Senafront and prosecutors seized 5,900 cylindrical capsules of suspected liquid THC in Clarita, Chepo district, during Operación Manto Oscuro. Suspects carrying three sacks fled into the jungle when challenged, and authorities valued the shipment at 500,000 balboas.
