Prison guards in Sorocaba Prison in Brazil noticed pigeons struggling to stay aloft as they flew into the cellblocks. The prison spokeswoman said: "Two pigeons were found carrying small bags containing mobile phones and chargers on two successive days."
The use of pigeons to smuggle contraband into jail is the latest twist in an ongoing struggle by criminal networks such as the notorious "Red Commando" or "First Commando of the Capital" to deliver forbidden goods into Brazil's prisons.
Reuters reports that the pigeons were bred and trained inside the prison and lived on the jail roof where prisoners would take deliveries before smuggling the birds out through visiting friends or family. The idea hearkens back to pre-mobile phone days when large owls used to bring in fax machines to prisoners.