70âYearâOld Egyptian Arrested After Kicking Freddie the BeagleâHe Tried Smuggling 100+âŻlbs of Food Through Dulles Airport!
It was an ordinary morning at Washington Dulles International Airport, with travelers weaving through baggage claim and the gentle hum of rolling wheels. Among them was Freddie, a five-year-old beagle with a job far more important than looking cute. Hunched over a suitcase, ears perked, tail alertâFreddie was a part of the elite CBP âBeagle Brigade,â trained to sniff out food that shouldnât cross U.S. borders. When Freddie alerted on one travelerâs beaten-up suitcase, no one couldâve guessed how tense the scene would get.
That traveler was a 70-year-old man from Egypt named Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy AlyâŻMarie. Heâd arrived on a flight from Cairo, wheeling two heavy bags. Freddieâs nose acted faster than anyone: he worked his way around Marieâs bag, signaling for his handler. What followed was a moment that stunned everyone nearby. Instead of cooperating, Marie lashed out. He violently kicked Freddie so hard the little beagleâa mere 25 poundsâflew off the ground. Witnesses say the airport froze for a second. The handler and CBP officers rushed in. The shock in their eyes was real.
Freddie, trembling but brave, lay on the floor for a moment before being gently picked up and taken to veterinary care. He had bruises on his right front ribâa painful reminder that sometimes heroes get hurt on the job. CBP spokesman Stephen Sapp later shared that Freddie was prescribed rest and light pain medication. Even so, he was back on duty in less than a week, celebrated with a well-earned Pup Cup from Starbucks. It wasnât just a happy endingâit was proof that Freddieâs spirit wasnât broken.

A Costly Mistake and a Lesson in Respect
Once the dust settled, customs officers inspected Marieâs luggage. What they found was astonishingâmore than 100 pounds of undeclared food products. There were 55 pounds of beef, 44 pounds of rice, 15 pounds of vegetables like eggplant, cucumbers and bell peppers, plus corn seeds and herbs. All that food was packed loose, with no U.S. import permits, and standard agricultural rules strictly prohibit it. These rules exist to prevent harmful pests, diseases or contaminants that could devastate crops and livestock here.
CBPâs Area Port Director for Washington, Christine Waugh, addressed the situation in strong terms: âBeing caught deliberately smuggling well over one hundred pounds of undeclared and prohibited agriculture products does not give one permission to violently assault a defenseless Customs and Border Protection beagle.â Her words reflected the emotion felt by everyone who works with these dogsâtheyâre more than trained animals; theyâre partners.

Marie was arrested and charged under federal law 18âŻU.S.C.âŻ1368 for harming animals used in law enforcement. He pled guilty during his first court appearance. He was credited for time served in custody, ordered to pay $840 for Freddieâs vet bills, and deported the next day, back to Egypt. That was the swift justice CBP promised.
This incident stands out because it highlights two lessons. One: donât ignore customs rules. Meat, rice, seeds, vegetablesâif you donât have proper clearance, it stays home. Two: hurting a working animal isnât just morally wrongâitâs illegal. Doing so guarantees serious consequences, including jail time, fines, deportation, and a ban from re-entry.
Itâs easy to spot viral social media moments when a dog is involved. Weeks later, CBPâs official X (formerly Twitter) account posted a photo of Freddie enjoying a Pup Cup with a caption thanking everyone for their concern. Comments flooded in: âPoor doggo â€ïžâ or âHe was just doing his job. No excuse to hurt him.â Support poured in from all corners. Some asked if punishments should be even tougher. Others focused on Freddieâs glowing recovery, celebrating CBPâs quick response.
Freddieâs story reminds us of the Beagle Brigadeâs real impact. These dogs and their human partners screen thousands of passengers every day. Last year alone, CBP said their teams intercepted nearly 3,600 prohibited plant and animal productsâplus 247 insect pestsâacross U.S. entry points every day. Without them, agricultural diseases could easily sneak in, threatening crops, livestock, and even local economies.

Picture it: a single smuggled pest crawling into exported goods, then spreading through a state or even country. What starts as a small bug could cost billions. Thatâs why CBP invests in painstaking training for these dogs. And why they deserve respectânot violence.
Think back to the image of Freddieâs face. Eyes wide, nose damp, stuck in that moment between work and fear when he was kicked. Itâs an emotional snapshot: a brave working dog, the epitome of innocence, attacked for doing his job. Yet less than a week later, heâs back at work, tail wagging, ready to sniff luggage again. Thatâs the resilience built by love, training, and teamwork between handlers and dogs.
Thatâs also the deeper story hereânot just that a man got deported for kicking a dog. Itâs that Freddie and his kind carry heavy responsibility. Their noses guard health, crops, and borders. Their work isnât glamorous. Itâs often overlooked. But itâs essential. When people cross borders, these dogs do tooâinto baggage, into crowds, into the unknown.
For travelers, the takeaway is clear: obey customs rules. Declare food items, even if they seem harmless. And remember that behind every detection dog is someoneâa handler, a trainer, a veterinary teamâinvested in that animalâs well-being.
Freddieâs return to duty wasnât just routine. It was a statement that kindness and respect matter. That tough laws exist to protect animal workers. And that sometimes, the smallest heroes teach the biggest lessons.
Freddieâs story spread across news sitesâWashington Post, Fox News, WTOP, Newsweekâand across social platforms. But in the end, the real narrative is simple: a dedicated animal doing his job, a traveler making a desperate mistake, and laws stepping in to set things right. Thereâs a powerful emotional core hereâbravery, justice, recovery, respectâand thatâs what makes this story stick.
So next time youâre inching through baggage claim, and a small official dog sniffs your suitcase, give a nod of thanks. That beagle might just save crops, families, and communitiesâall by doing what comes naturally. Freddie did his job, got hurt, recoveredâand made sure a rule-breaker faced the consequences. In the world of border protection, thatâs a story worth telling.

Daniel Reed is a curious mind with a passion for breaking down how the world works. With a background in mechanical engineering and digital media, he turns complex ideas into easy-to-understand articles that entertain and inform. From vintage tools and modern tech to viral internet debates and life hacks, Daniel is always on the hunt for the âwhyâ behind the everyday. His goal is simple: make learning feel like scrolling through your favorite feed â addictive, surprising, and fun.