Roasted pig head detected by Customs beagle at Atlanta airport

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection beagle named Hardy detected a roasted pig head in checked luggage at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Hardy, a six-year-old rescue beagle, alerted his handler to a bag belonging to a traveler from Ecuador. Inside was the pig head, which weighed nearly 2 pounds.

Carey Davis, director for the Port of Atlanta for Customs and Border Protection, issued a statement saying the seizure demonstrates "the tremendous expertise of our four-legged K-9 partners in protecting the United States."

>>Beagle rescued from abuse now detects contraband at Hartsfield-Jackson

The agency seized the pig head and destroyed it, saying pork and pork products from other continents are prohibited from entering the United States to prevent the introduction of diseases like classical swine fever, foot and mouth disease and swine vesicular disease.

Travelers are supposed to declare fruit, vegetable and food products to Customs and present them for inspection.

Hardy, a member of the Customs and Border Protection “Beagle Brigade,” got his job in 2015 after training at the National Detectors Dog Training Center in Newnan.

It’s not the first time a beagle has intercepted a pig at Hartsfield-Jackson.

In 2016, a K9 beagle named Joey detected a whole roasted pig in the baggage of a traveler from Peru.

About the Author

Atlanta’s Joe Beasley, international civil and human rights advocate, dies

Joe Beasley who was just two weeks shy of his 89th birthday, according to his family, was "a moral force in Atlanta."

Warnock urges ‘a common humanity’ in wake of shootings

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., appears on "Meet The Press" on Sunday, sharing his thoughts on the fatal shootings in the news, health care costs and the 2026 elections.