LOS ANGELES, California — 21 July 2026, the work of K9 detection dog Maisy, a beagle assigned to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations in Los Angeles, has once again attracted online attention after uncovering a suitcase from Thailand containing prohibited items, including a 7-kilogram Bengal monitor lizard.
The CBP Office of Field Operations shared images of Maisy standing behind the seized items on Facebook, saying the K9 officer had detected luggage from Thailand containing a total of 50 pounds (about 22 kilograms) of meat products, including raw meat, as well as 33 pounds (about 15 kilograms) of mangoes, garlic, bamboo and banana plants.
Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also seized a Bengal monitor lizard weighing 16 pounds (about 7 kilograms) found inside the luggage.
CBP jokingly captioned the post:
“If you found all this in a suitcase, wouldn’t you be this happy too?”
The agency shared a photo of Maisy appearing to smile after completing the mission.
The incident drew widespread reactions from internet users, with many joking that the suitcase looked more like a “food box” than luggage. Others joked that a beagle’s greatest talent was sniffing out food, while some questioned the attempt to bring a monitor lizard into the United States.
This is not the first time a CBP Los Angeles K9 officer has gone viral. Previously, another beagle named Merla gained attention after helping officers detect undeclared food and agricultural products, including a case involving more than 100 pork and chicken sandwiches found in a traveller’s luggage from Thailand.
U.S. authorities regularly deploy K9 officers to detect food, plants and animal products because such items can carry diseases and pests that may threaten ecosystems and the country’s agricultural industry.
