World affairs

Will we see this plotline on Love/Hate next year? A cat is stopped at the gates of a Brazilian prison with a load of dodgy stuff taped to it. Poor animal.

If watching all those prison reality shows has taught us anything, it is that the guards face a constant battle against contraband items.

Drugs are probably the most likely but phones, weapons and pretty much anything you can think of are all regularly smuggled into prison, often in a fairly 'intimate' way for the smuggler.

But somebody in Brazil hit on a better idea. Strap a load of stuff to a cat and hope he wanders into the prison.

The guards at a prison in north-eastern Brazil spotted the cat near the gate and on closer inspection they noticed that a huge amount of stuff was taped to the feline’s body.

The video above shows a phone, a drill bit and a charger being taken from the package attached to the cat while a saw, earphones and batteries were also part of the four-legged smuggler's load.

The story, widely reported today, also includes a fantastic quote from the prison.

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

The incident happened on New Year’s Day and the cat was taken to a local vet for treatment after its ordeal.

We bet the lads down in Mountjoy are keeping an eye out for suspicious looking moggies as we speak.