K-9 Dog At Newark Airport Sniffs Out Suspicious 'Swine Sausages'

NEWARK, NJ — Some K-9 police dogs are trained to find bombs. Others are taught to detect drugs.

Kody, a detective doggo with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), sniffs for sausages.

As part of their efforts to keep invasive or potentially harmful animals and plants out of the United States, the CBP uses what it calls “agricultural canines.” The animals are specifically trained to sniff out meat and plant materials in airport passenger areas.

Earlier this week, Kody sniffed out some luggage from Kosovo at Newark Liberty International Airport, alerting his CBP handler about a suspicious suitcase. When officers searched the luggage, they found 88 pounds of “swine sausage,” authorities said.

Here’s the problem, officials explained: swine meat is prohibited from Kosovo as per 9CFR94 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations.

“The importation of swine meat, though seemingly harmless to the general public, could cause grave damage to our economy and agricultural industry,” said Troy Miller, director of the CBP’s New York field operations division.

The owner of the suitcase was released without a penalty, since he declared the “homemade sausages,” authorities said.

On a typical day in fiscal year 2019, CBP agriculture specialists throughout the nation seized 4,695 prohibited plants, meats, animal byproducts and soils, and intercepted 314 insect pests, officials said.

“One in five food items is now imported,” the CBP states on its website. “We can now have fresh strawberries when it’s 20 degrees below zero. American consumers demand fresh limes and blueberries all year round. In fact, during the winter months in the United States, nearly 80 percent of the fresh fruits and vegetables on our tables come from other countries.”

• See related article: U.S. Food System 'Broken' Long Before Coronavirus, Sen. Booker, Warren Say

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