A traveler who tried to smuggle an entire roasted pig head, that weighed almost 1kg, past US customs was caught red-handed by a beagle who is serving as a border security dog at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
“Hardy” – the K-9 beagle who serves as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Detector and is a member of the Government agency’s Beagle Brigade – noticed the scent of the pig head emanating from the checked luggage of a passenger who had arrived from Ecuador.
Pork products are banned from being transported to the US from elsewhere in the world due to the risk of diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease, Classical Swine Fever and Swine Vesicular Disease.
US Customs and Border Protection promptly destroyed the hefty roasted pig head once they were alerted by Hardy. The agency’s area port director for the Port of Atlanta, Carey Davis, said:
“Our best defense against destructive pests and animal diseases is to prevent the entry of prohibited agriculture products from entering the United States. This seizure at ATL illustrate the tremendous expertise of our four-legged K-9 partners in protecting the United States.”