Cat caught sneaking saw, drills, phone into Brazilian prison

GlobalPost

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — A cat caught while sneaking into a Brazilian prison with numerous items taped to its torso — including a saw, drills and a cell phone — was "detained" at the gates.

Prison guards at a jail in Arapiraca, Alagoas, 155 miles southwest of Recife, were surprised when they saw the white cat crossing at the main prison gate with tape wrapped around its body, according to Reuters. Upon closer look, they realized it was also carrying a saw, drills, an earphone, a cell phone and charger, a memory card, and batteries.

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"An agent saw the cat and went to look at it closely because something about it seemed wrong," Marcelo Avelino, the head of the prison guards' union, told Agence France-Presse.

According to AFP, the cat often comes in and out of the Alagoas jail. Prison officer Luiz de Oliveira Souza said prisoners had raised the cat and their relatives would often take it home after a prison visit.

"We were very surprised by this new tactic of prisoners," who trained the animal so that it returned to the prison carrying materials, Souza said.

BBC News reported that the prison currently holds 263 inmates.

All of the detainees are suspects in the plot, noted Reuters. The cat was taken to an animal disease center to receive medical care.

"It's tough to find out who's responsible for the action as the cat doesn't speak," a prison spokesperson said.

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