Dulles, VA – A detector dog named Freddie, a 4-year-old beagle, made headlines at Washington Dulles International Airport when he sniffed out over two pounds of snake meat in a passenger’s luggage on September 11.
The passenger had just arrived from Equatorial Guinea, where snake meat is a common food. However, U.S. agriculture laws prohibit the import of various animal products without the necessary permits.
Freddie’s keen sense of smell and training as part of the CBP’s Beagle Brigade helped alert officers to the prohibited item. Wildlife inspectors from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the importation of the snake meat violated several laws, including CITES and the Lacey Act. The meat was subsequently confiscated.
Marc Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for Washington, D.C., praised Freddie’s role in safeguarding agricultural resources and highlighted the commitment of Customs and Border Protection to enforce regulations in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Source: wusa9.com
