Beagle Finds Roasted Pig in Luggage at ATL Airport

A US Customs and Border Protection K9 agent sniffed out something suspicious at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) on Monday.

Hardy the beagle, a CPB Agriculture Detector on the agency's "Beagle Brigade," found a whole roasted pig in an Ecuadoran passenger's checked luggage at ATL. When authorities opened up the bag, they found the head of the roasted pig inside, wrapped up in tin foil, CBP said in a statement.

The cooked pig, which weighed about two pounds, was destroyed by CBP agents after it was discovered. The agency says all pork and pork products from other continents are banned from entering the US to prevent pig-based diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease for example, from being introduced to the public. All fruits, vegetables and food products must be declared to CBP upon entry to the US.

A woman on a Delta flight re-entering the US from Paris learned this lesson the hard way when she was fined $500 for failing to declare an apple in her purse in April (the fine was later dropped). It isn't clear if the swine-carrying passenger was fined for stowing away the roasted pig.

“Our best defense against destructive pests and animal diseases is to prevent the entry of prohibited agriculture products from entering the United States,” said Carey Davis, CBP Area Port Director for the Port of Atlanta. “This seizure at ATL illustrate the tremendous expertise of our four-legged K9 partners in protecting the United States."

Hardy the beagle is a 6-year-old rescue dog who has been working the agriculture detection beat with CBP at the Atlanta airport since 2015.

All images by US CBP.