Hamad Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, 70, admitted to harming a customs dog named Freddie at Washington Dulles International Airport after arriving from Cairo, Egypt.
Freddie, a five-year-old beagle, detected 45kg of undeclared agricultural products in Marie’s luggage: 25kg of beef meat, 20kg of rice, 6.8kg of eggplant, cucumbers and bellpeppers, and 1kg of corn seeds, and 0.5kg of herbs.
Marie kicked Freddie, causing injuries that were confirmed by a veterinarian, requiring an $840 (£612) treatment fee.
Customs officials seized multiple prohibited items from Marie’s luggage under legislation designed to prevent harmful pests and diseases from entering the country.
Christine Waugh criticized the attack on Freddie, reaffirming the importance of K9 partners in customs operations.
Christine Waugh shared “Being caught deliberately smuggling well over 100lbs of undeclared and prohibited agricultural products does not give one permission to violently assault a defenceless Customs and Border Protection beagle. 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.”
