At BWI, a dog from the "Beagle Brigade" was lauded for spotting possibly invasive plants
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| On January 7, 2023, at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural detector dog Gatsby discovered illegal propagative plants and plant bulbs in the luggage of a Virginia family. (With permission from US Customs and Border Protection) |
Earlier this month, a family's luggage contained 21 prohibited, propagative plants and bags of bulbs, which a beagle trained to sniff out potentially invasive plants at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport found. The discovery was hailed as a success, and the beagle is being hailed as a hero.
Gatsby, a member of their "Beagle Brigade," according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, saw the luggage of a family of three arriving in Maryland on a trip from Iceland on January 7. 21 propagative plants were discovered there by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, which may be invasive and endanger agriculture.
According to Adam Rottman, Area Port Director for CBP's Area Port of Baltimore, "Finding such a vast quantity of plants and bulbs in one family's baggage is unusual and the potential threat these items pose to our nation's agricultural resources underscores the importance of travelers knowing what they can and cannot bring into the United States."