In a bizarre discovery, an elephant in China unearthed a stash carrying 2.8 kilogrammes of opium in the Chinese province of Yunnan after the locals complained about the giants passing by their residences, posing a threat to the dwellers of the area.

People have mostly heard and seen dogs sniffing and finding such illicit items.  It is common when someone passes through a security checkpost, where law enforcement agencies make sure there’s no carrying of such drugs. 

But, people may never heard about elephants. A video from the scene was also shot by the people in Yunnan’s forest which went viral on social media.

A Chinese newspaper People’s Daily reported that border police in Mengman township, Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, recently received a report from the villagers saying four wild elephants were strolling in the village and may pose a danger to people’s lives and property.

After the reports, officials arrived at the scene and tracked down the elephants that were on their way toward the forest.

Seen from the video, one elephant suddenly stopped and started to sniff the grass and used its trunk to toss a back bag into the air and left.

The police waited till the wild elephants had made their exit before inspecting the bag, the media outlet reported. The footage shows police opening the bag to find a tightly bound brick of opium, buried under layers of clothes.

According to the reports, officers then opened the bag and they found that there was 2.8 kg of opium. Authorities have started an investigation into the matter, police said.

Cross-border drug trafficking has always been an issue in Yunnan, which borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

As the video gained traction, netizens started calling the elephant an agent of law enforcement agencies.