Border K-9 finds nearly 100 pounds of banned meat, plants and monitor lizard in suitcase from Thailand

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection K-9 alerted officers to a suitcase arriving from Thailand that contained nearly 100 pounds of prohibited meat, plants and wildlife products, CBP said.

CBP said K-9 Maisy alerted officers to the bag, which contained 50 pounds of meat, including raw meat; 33 pounds of mangoes; garlic, bamboo and banana plants; and approximately 16 pounds of Bengal monitor lizard.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took custody of the monitor lizard, CBP said. CBP posted a photo of Maisy next to the seized items and wrote, “If you discovered all this in a suitcase, wouldn’t you be this happy?”

CBP said agriculture specialists routinely inspect international luggage for prohibited meat, plants and wildlife products that can introduce pests, animal diseases or invasive species into the United States.

In a separate incident, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said officers working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration inspected a vehicle at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and found about 436 fish, including rockfish, lingcod, sheephead and yellowtail. CDFW said the three people in the vehicle did not have valid Mexican fishing licenses and that officers determined they were bringing the fish into the United States to sell. The agency said the catch was seized as evidence and charges are being pursued in connection with alleged unlawful take of fish in Mexico, fishing without valid licenses and illegally importing the fish into the United States.

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