Pigeon wearing tiny backpack with crystal meth captured at Canadian prison

A pigeon carrying a miniature backpack full of crystal meth was discovered in a Canadian prison yard last month, the Globe and Mail reported this weekend.

The bird was found and captured at the Pacific Institution correctional facility near Vancouver on December 29, after officers noticed that the bird was carrying something. 

“It was spotted by correctional officers, I believe, and security intelligence officers when the officers were doing their standard patrols around and throughout the unit and institution,” said John Randle, Pacific regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers. “That’s when they initially spotted the bird with the package on it.”

"And then, of course, I believe there was some creative work—because the bird moved around quite a bit—to track it and capture it. But it was just outside one of the unit yards when it was first spotted," Randle told the outlet.

Randle said that he has never seen anything tried to be smuggled into the prison using a bird in his 13 years as a corrections officer, adding that the smugglers would have had an easier time using a drone. 

“My initial reaction was shock because of all the advancements in technology and the number of drones we’ve seen,” Randle said. “The fact that it’s tied to a pigeon is abnormal.” 

“They have gone backward in technology,” he explained. “Maybe that’s because of all the work we have done with drone interdiction that they are trying to find new ways to get contraband in without being detected.”

The pigeon used to contraband the meth is under investigation. It is unclear if someone inside the prison was training the bird or if it was set up by someone outside of the facility.