Man who kicked adorable airport sniffer dog into the air is punished

A man spotted kicking a “defenceless” dog at an airport, so hard it flew into the air, was slapped with a satisfying punishment.

Egyptian man Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, 70, kicked an agricultural detector dog - pooches used by customs to identify items like plants, fruits, vegetables, and seeds that may be banned - at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Virginia, US. Marie, who flew in on an EgyptAir flight from Cairo, was waiting at baggage claim when he lashed out at Freddie the dog, a beagle. His actions led to a court appearance and Marie was removed from the US.

Marie pleaded guilty after he was charged with wilfully and maliciously harming a police animal. He was also slapped with a fine equal to around £612 to pay the pooch’s veterinary fees.

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The incident occurred when Freddie detected more than 50kg of banned items in Marie’s bag and alerted his handler. Close to 25kg of beef meat was found in Marie’s bag, along with just under 20kg of rice, and 6.8kg of other vegetables. The items were seized.

During questioning, Marie kicked Freddie with a force that was enough to send the dog into the air. Grim CCTV footage shows Freddie at one point suspended in the air with his ears standing up. Freddie was found to have bruises on his ribs.

Marie was then quickly apprehended by US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers before he was turned over to officials from Homeland Security. The incident took place on Tuesday and Marie was eventually deported on Thursday.

Christine Waugh, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, DC, said: “Being 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.

"We rely heavily on our K9 partners and Freddie was just doing his job. Any malicious attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and CBP will continue to work with our investigating and prosecuting partners to deal swift and severe justice to perpetrators.”

The CBP said: “CBP's Beagles Brigade plays a vital role in screening passengers and cargo to prevent the introduction of harmful plant pests and foreign animal disease from entering the US. Animal and plant diseases and invasive pests and weeds have cost nations millions to billions of dollars in eradication measures and lost revenues.”

The Washington Post reported that Freddie, now five-years-old, was first found on a road in the US state of Georgia. He was then trained to be a part of the 'Beagle Brigade' used by customs officials to keep out unwanted products.

Freddie, who is trained to sniff out a range of meats including snake and camel, is expected to return to work soon.