Federal immigration officials removed an Egyptian man after he violently kicked a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detection beagle at an airport.
Seventy-year-old Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie pled guilty to federal charges Wednesday after he assaulted a detection beagle at the Dulles International airport, according to CBP. The victim, a five-year-old agriculture detector dog named Freddie, attempted to alert his handler of undeclared agriculture products in Marie’s baggage at the time of the assault.
The Egyptian man kicked Freddie so hard that the 25-pound beagle was lifted off the ground, according to CBP. Officers immediately descended upon Marie following the attack and handed him over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for prosecution.
Afterward, a veterinarian determined that the assault resulted in contusions of Freddie’s fight forward rib area.
A subsequent search of Marie’s baggage by a CBP agriculture specialist discovered 55 pounds of beef meat, 44 pounds of rice and a slate of other agricultural products that are all prohibited from entering the U.S., according to CBP. All products were seized by immigration officials.
“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,” Christine Waugh, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C., said in a public statement.
“We rely heavily on our K9 partners and Freddie was just doing his job,” Waugh continued. “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.”
Marie pled guilty during an appearance before the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia to harming an animal used in law enforcement, according to CBP. Credited with time served, he was ordered to pay the veterinarian’s fee and immediately report to CBP for removal from the country. He boarded a flight to Egypt around 12:30pm Thursday.
“CBP’s Beagles Brigade plays a vital role in screening passengers and cargo to prevent the introduction of harmful plant pests and foreign animal disease from entering the U.S.,” the agency stated in its press release. “Animal and plant diseases and invasive pests and weeds have cost nations millions to billions of dollars in eradication measures and lost revenues.”
Freddie has been featured numerous times on CBP’s social media accounts in past months, with the agency praising him for his diligent work detecting prohibited products before they reach the U.S. public.
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