NEWARK, N.J. — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection K-9 sniffed out 88 pounds of illegal homemade sausage in a passenger’s luggage, the agency said on Monday.
Kody, a K-9 with the agency, alerted his handler to the swine meat in a bag from a flight from Kosovo during an examination of luggage on Friday at the Newark Liberty International Airport.
CBP agriculture specialists at EWR were conducting a canine examination of luggage originating from Kosovo Friday when K9 Kody alerted to a suspicious suitcase.
— CBP (@CBP) January 12, 2021
The suitcase held 88lbs of pork sausage, in violation of @USDA regulations.
READ MORE: https://t.co/HfZkMxHo9G pic.twitter.com/CyQeiHLqLi
Currently, swine meat from Kosovo is prohibited under U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations. The passenger was released without penalty. He had declared the sausages when entering the country.
“The importation of swine meat, though seemingly harmless to the general public, could cause grave damage to our economy and agricultural industry, and CBP does its part in keeping these prohibited items from entering the United States,” Troy Miller, director of CBP’s New York field operations, said in a statement.
In a typical day, agents seize 4,695 prohibited plants, meats and animal byproducts as well as 314 insects.
Two weeks ago, agents found nine pounds of “bushmeat” from a passenger from Ghana at Newark Liberty International Airport. Bushmeat is derived from non-human primates, bats, civets or African rodents, and could potentially contain disease.
On Jan. 4, agents seized 20 pounds of swine meat and 30 containers of edible bird nests from a passenger from China arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Cox Media Group
