Snake meat seized at Dulles International Airport

DULLES, Va. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Washington Dulles International Airport seized over two pounds of snake meat from a traveler's baggage last month.

The passenger, arriving from Equatorial Guinea, was flagged by CBP agriculture detector dog Freddie, a four-year-old male beagle.

Snake meat, a common protein source in Equatorial Guinea, is banned from import under U.S. agricultural laws.

CBP specialists detained the meat and consulted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) wildlife inspectors.

The USFWS regulates wildlife importation and determined that the snake meat lacked necessary permits and documentation, violating several laws, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Lacey Act. 

CBP seized the snake meat and turned it over to wildlife inspectors on September 12.