WASHINGTON — A detector dog at Washington Dulles International Airport sniffed out two pounds of snake meat in a passenger's luggage last month.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the passenger had just arrived from Equatorial Guinea on Sept. 11 when a 4-year-old CBP agriculture detector dog, a beagle named Freddie, alerted officers to the luggage.
While inspecting the baggage, officials found more than two pounds of snake meat. While the meat is a routine protein in Equatorial Guinea, U.S. agriculture laws prohibit the import of a variety of animal and plant products.
Wildlife inspectors from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined the import of snake meat without the necessary permits violated several laws and regulations, including provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Lacey Act.
The meat was then turned over to wildlife inspectors.
“This seizure exemplifies the extraordinary competence of our Beagle Brigade in protecting our national vital agricultural resources by detecting prohibited plant and animal products packed in traveler baggage,” said Marc Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists remain committed to working with our partners at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure that animal and plant products that travelers bring to the United States fully comply with our nation’s laws and relevant international conventions.”
