U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia seized more than two pounds of snake meat after arriving from Equatorial Guinea last month.
On Sept. 11, 2024, CBP agricultural detector dog Freddie, a four-year-old beagle, alerted agents to the baggage of a traveler who arrived at the airport after flying from the West African nation.
After being flagged by Freddie, agents performed a subsequent search of the baggage and discovered over two pounds of snake meat.
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CBP said snake meat is a routine protein source in Equatorial Guinea. However, snake meat is banned from being imported into the U.S. under agricultural laws.
CBP specialists confiscated the meat and spoke with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) wildlife specialists about the discovery.
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The USFWS regulates the importation of wildlife and determined the snake meat lacked the necessary permits and documentation to be carried into the U.S. By bringing the meat into the U.S., the USFWS advised, several laws were violated, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora and the Lacey Act.
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CBP ultimately seized the snake meat and turned it over to wildlife inspectors the next day.
"This seizure exemplifies the extraordinary competence of our Beagle Brigade in protecting our national vital agricultural resources by detecting prohibited plant and animal products packed in traveler baggage," Marc Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C., said in a prepared statement. "Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists remain committed to working with our partners at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure that animal and plant products that travelers bring to the United States fully comply with our nation’s laws and relevant international conventions."
