Drunken raccoon who broke into US liquor store found passed out in bathroom

The masked burglar was found at the scene of the crime, passed out next to the toilet (Samantha Martin/AP)

A masked burglar broke into a closed Virginia liquor store early on Saturday and hit the scotch and whisky.

The bandit was something of a nocturnal menace: bottles were smashed, a ceiling tile collapsed and alcohol pooled on the floor.

The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he is a raccoon.

On Saturday morning, an employee at the store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.

The trash panda left quite the mess after a boozy night (Samantha Martin/Hanover County Protection via AP)

Samantha Martin, an officer who works at the local animal control, said: “I personally like raccoons.

“They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”

Ms Martin said she took the raccoon back to the animal shelter, though she had her fair share of giggles along the way.

The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter commended Ms Martin for handling the break-in and confirmed the raccoon has since sobered up.

“After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury – other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices – he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” the agency said.