Just when you thought you’d seen it all. Yesterday, customs officials in Abdali, Kuwait caught a pigeon carrying 178 pills in a small bag attached to its body. The seized ecstasy pills are believed to have come from Iraq. It seems that customs was already aware that pigeons were being used to smuggle drugs, and authorities had been tracking one for some time. However this was the first time they actually caught a bird in the act, and funny enough it was detained on a building near the customs department.
As impressive a feat it may be to train a pigeon to fly to a drug drop-off point, law enforcement officials elsewhere have actually identified previous cases where pigeons have been used to carry drugs. In 2015, prison guards in Costa Rica caught a pigeon carrying cocaine and cannabis in a zipped pouch. And in 2011, Colombian police discovered a pigeon that was unable to fly over a high prison wall because of the weight of a package of cocaine and marijuana strapped to it.
Pigeons have been used to carry messages since Roman times, using their powerful “homing” ability as far as 1,100 miles away. Their average flying speed is roughly 50 mph, so they’re great for transporting things quickly.
It appears that drug smugglers are becoming more and more creative to try and get their products to their customers. They must have figured the best place to hide was in plain sight. This festival season, keep in mind your party favors may have been made possible by your feathery friends in the sky.
Source: Mixmag