Man who kicked customs dog at a Washington airport ordered to leave US

Freddie the Customs and Border Protection beagle at Washington DC's Dulles Airport. Photo / US Customs and Border Protection via X

Freddie the Customs and Border Protection beagle spent last Wednesday doing his typical work: patrolling the international baggage claim area at Washington Dulles International Airport for undeclared agricultural products.

Then the morning took an unusual turn.

After the dog alerted his handler that a piece of luggage from Cairo was suspicious, the duo approached the suitcase’s owner, a 70-year-old man from Egypt.

“He violently kicked Freddie with sufficient force to lift the 25-pound [11kg] beagle off the ground,” a CBP news release says.

A veterinarian said the dog suffered contusions to his right rib area and ordered “rest and a mild dose of pain meds”, agency spokesman Stephen Sapp said in an email.

Customs officers arrested Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie and took him to a local jail. He was charged with wilfully and maliciously harming a police animal.

Further investigation revealed what Freddie had detected: 25kg of beef, 20kg of rice, 6.8kg of vegetables, corn seeds and herbs - items that were not allowed into the United States and seized, according to the news release.

“Being caught deliberately smuggling well over one hundred pounds [45kg] of undeclared and prohibited agriculture products does not give one permission to violently assault a defenceless Customs and Border Protection beagle,” Christine Waugh, CBP’s area port director for DC, said in a statement.

“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.”

In a quick resolution, Marie pleaded guilty in federal court during his initial appearance on Thursday. He was ordered to pay restitution for Freddie’s vet fee - US$840 ($1390) - and had to report to CPB to be removed from the US. He flew to Egypt on Friday.

It was just the latest chapter in an eventful life for the 5-year-old beagle, who was found on a median in Georgia before going to work for the US government. The Washington Post wrote about Freddie and fellow Dulles sniffers in November.

His handler said at the time that he has learned to sniff out meat like cane rat, pigeon, snake, and camel, in addition to beef and pork. He is part of a “Beagle Brigade” used around the country to keep out diseases, invasive pests and plants.

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According to CBP, the agency’s agriculture specialists and canines seized nearly 3600 prohibited items including plants, meat, animal by-products or soil at US entry points in a standard day last year.

Freddie’s plight drew attention on social media; well-wishers asked for updates in the comments on videos posted earlier this year on an official Facebook page.

In an Instagram post on Saturday, the agency said the pup would make a full recovery and shared a photo of him sampling a Starbucks “Pup Cup”.

“Freddie should be back in a week,” Sapp said in an email.