Prison dog kills feline drug dealer in 'arrest scuffle'

KAZAN. November 12. KAZINFORM A cat with heroin-laden collar was killed by a Volga area jail dog while trying to smuggle the drug to a convict, the press service of the regional penitentiary department said. Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

The inmate, kept in a jail in Russia's Volga Republic of Tatarstan, trained and tamed one of the prison's cats so that it could bring him drugs.

"The cat was taken outside the prison, where the convict's accomplices starved the animal for several days, then put a drug-laden collar on it and released near the jail," the department's press service said in a statement.

The starving cat, with some 15 grams of heroin in the collar, rushed to its owner, hoping to get some food. It was caught and severely bitten by a prison guard dog shortly after crossing the main fence.

A criminal case was launched. Along with charges of drug trafficking, the inmate and his accomplices are likely to be charged with cruelty to animals. Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version