A man visiting the United States from Egypt pled guilty to federal charges of kicking and injuring a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture detector dog.
The incident occurred at the Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday when a CBP beagle named Freddie alerted agents to potential contraband in a bag belonging to 70-year-old Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie.
CBP said in a press release:
CBP agriculture detector dog Freddie, a five-year-old beagle, and his handler were inspecting baggage from travelers who arrived from Cairo, Egypt when Freddie alerted to one of Marie’s suitcases. As the CBP canine handler started questioning Marie, he violently kicked Freddie with sufficient force to lift the 25-pound beagle off the ground.
“CBP officers immediately descended upon Marie, handcuffed him, and turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for prosecution,” it added.
A veterinarian later determined that Freddie suffered contusions to his right forward rib area.
CBP Beagle Brigader Freddie sniffs out prohibited agriculture products at our nation’s border that could threaten our vital agricultural industries. (CBP.gov)
CBP agriculture specialists examined the content’s of Marie’s luggage and discovered products prohibited from entering the United States: 55 pounds of beef meat, 44 pounds of rice, 15 pounds of eggplant, cucumbers, and bell peppers, two pounds of corn seeds, and a pound of herbs.
After pleading guilty, Marie was credited with time served and ordered to pay the veterinarian’s fee before being sent back to Egypt.
“Being caught deliberately smuggling well over one hundred pounds of undeclared and prohibited agriculture products does not give one permission to violently assault a defenseless Customs and Border Protection beagle,” said Christine Waugh, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C.
“We rely heavily on our K9 partners and Freddie was just doing his job. Any malicious attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and CBP will continue to work with our investigating and prosecuting partners to deal swift and severe justice to perpetrators,” Waugh added.
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