Dulles CBP’s agriculture detector dog Freddie is still thriving one year after his violent assault

STERLING, Va. – Freddie, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture detector dog at Washington Dulles International Airport, continues to thrive in protecting our nation’s vital agricultural resources a year after being violently assaulted by an Egyptian traveler.

On June 26, 2025, Freddie and his handler were working around the baggage belt in CBP’s inspection station when Freddie alerted to agriculture products inside a 70-year-old Egyptian man’s checked baggage. In response, the man kicked Freddie so hard in the ribs that the beagle went airborne. The man was convicted for harming animals used in law enforcement and removed from the United States. Freddie spent two weeks recovering from his injuries before returning to work.

On Tuesday, Freddie, a six-year-old male beagle, alerted to the baggage of a U.S. citizen traveler who returned from Nigeria. Freddie’s handler referred the traveler to a secondary baggage examination where CBP agriculture specialists discovered nine bags of Jequirity bean seeds, which weighed a little more than half a pound, and 170 red tail feathers from the African gray parrot.

This was Freddie’s 200th agriculture products detection during June that resulted in a referral for a secondary examination.

“Freddie is resilient. What occurred a year ago was despicable, and pained him greatly, but it hasn’t stopped him from continuing his vital role alongside all of our Customs and Border Protection agriculture detector dogs in protecting our nation’s agricultural resources and economic security,” said CBP Area Port Director Christine Waugh, Area Port of Washington, D.C.

Jequirity bean, or rosary pea, plants are common to tropical regions. These plants create seeds, known as “cat eye seeds,” that contain toxic levels of abrin. In African culture, cat eye seeds are used in prayer beads, percussion drums, and talismans, and users brew Jequirity bean seeds into teas to drink during spiritual rituals. They are alleged to attract good luck and have powerful protective and energy-balancing properties. Jequirity bean plants and seeds are strictly prohibited or regulated in the United States due to the extreme toxicity of its seeds.

African gray parrots are an endangered species and classified among the highest level of international protections by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. African gray parrots are also a highly trafficked species in the illegal wildlife trade because they are known as one of the most intelligent birds globally and closely mimic human speech. Each African gray parrot has 12 red tail feathers. The red tail feathers are known to be used in African spiritual rituals and cultural ceremonies, and on jewelry and masks.

CBP intercepted the seeds and red tail feathers, and released the traveler. CBP agriculture specialists will turn the red tail feathers over to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors.

CBP agriculture specialists safeguard American agriculture by preventing the introduction of harmful exotic plant pests, foreign animal diseases, and potential agricultural bioterrorism into the United States. Every day they inspect tens of thousands of international travelers and cargo shipments being imported to the United States. On a typical day last year, CBP agriculture specialists across the nation confiscated 4,691 prohibited plant, meat, animal byproducts, and soil, and intercepted 222 insect pests at U.S. ports of entry.

When it comes to finding prohibited fruit, vegetables, plants, and meat products from high-risk countries, the nose knows. A trained agriculture detector dog can scan a piece of luggage for smuggled or forgotten fruits in mere seconds. Learn more about how CBP employs canines to protect our nation’s vital agricultural resources against plant and animal diseases, invasive insects, and federal noxious weeds.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on X @DFOBaltimore and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram @cbpfieldops.