Last month the authorities in Colombia had a new battle on their hands. As they captured Don Mario, the man who had topped the most wanted lists for some years, new drug traffickers have come to light.
In the north-west region, pigeons have been found to operate for their criminal owners. One pigeon, now in custody, was discovered sheltering under a tree outside a high-security prison with a mobile phone and contraband strapped to its back. Heavy rains rendered the smuggler flightless and with no way of escape.
Authorities in the region are now concerned. This new way of smuggling goods into the prison will be hard to combat and will mean prisoners can continue to operate criminal circles from within the jail. Despite continued efforts by the Colombian authorities, analysts predict that up to 3% of Colombian GDP comes from local cocaine cartels.
For now, the jailbird is still being held by police.