Colorado authorities have now added yeast to the list of items that are prohibited in jails. The Mesa County sheriff's department confiscated toothpaste tubes filled with brewer's yeast, which an inmate tried to smuggle into the county jail.

After the tubes were tested for marijuana, cocaine and hash and came back negative, authorities determined that it was brewer's yeast. Sheriff Stan Hilkey said that the brewer's yeast could be used to make “jailhouse hooch” and that officials are taking the issue very seriously.

Hilkey added that he thought an inmate made a connection with a worker at the distribution center where the yeast was packaged, or someone repackaged the items with the yeast inside.