Latest news with #CustomsAndBorderProtection
CBS News
10 hours ago
- CBS News
Man arrested, accused of posing as Border Patrol agent in Huntington Park
Huntington Park police arrested a man this week who they say was posing as a federal immigration agent. At a Friday news conference, the Huntington Park police chief and mayor discussed the arrest of 24-year-old Fernando Diaz, who they say was impersonating a federal agent, using it as an example of what they say is a broader issue. Diaz was arrested on June 24 after officers spotted a gray Dodge Durango parked in a handicap spot with no visible handicap placard and without a front license plate. Police Chief Cosme Lozano said officers thought the truck might be an unmarked law enforcement vehicle after spotting several police-like radios and a firearm magazine inside the SUV. Vehicle registration information showed that it was registered to a person in Los Angeles, not law enforcement. "The officers then initiated procedures to impound the vehicle for violations of the California vehicle code, and as they were doing so, a male individual approached, claiming to be the owner of the vehicle," Lozano said. Diaz claimed the items in the truck belonged to a friend, investigators said. Diaz also told officers that he works as a security guard and stated that he had previously worked for Customs and Border Protection; however, police say he was unable to produce any valid credentials to substantiate this claim. A further search of the vehicle revealed a loaded 9mm semi-automatic firearm, two holsters, additional ammunition for the gun, three cell phones, a sheet containing U.S. Customs and Border Protection radio codes, multiple copies of passports, red and blue lights hidden under the vehicles visors … "and other miscellaneous items indicative of possible criminal activity," Lozano said. Huntington Park police recovered items from a June 24 arrest of a man who they say was impersonating a federal agent. KCAL News Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores said residents across the region are reporting encounters with individuals claiming to be federal agents. "One recent incident prompted a resident to ask, 'Who are these people?' And frankly, the vests that they were wearing look a lot like they were ordered on Amazon, " Flores said. "Are they bounty hunters? Are they vigilantes? These questions reflect a larger breakdown of trust and accountability." During the news conference, Flores added that the Huntington Park City Council passed a resolution this week directing its police department to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a federal immigration agent in the city. CBS News Los Angeles has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and are waiting for a response.
CBS News
10 hours ago
- CBS News
Feds seize $573K in fake Rolex watches and designer sunglasses in Pittsburgh
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized than two dozen counterfeit Rolex watches and designer brand sunglasses in Pittsburgh. If the 13 watches and 12 sunglasses had been real, the CBP said they would have been valued at about $573,000. Officers inspected the shipment on April 27 after it arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The CBP said the shipment was destined for a Pittsburgh address and manifested as handbags. Instead, the container had Rolex watches and sunglasses with brand names like Burberry, Chanel and Gucci. Suspecting the goods were knockoffs, the CBP said officers detained them for further review. Trade experts took a look at the products, working with the trademark holders to verify that they were fake. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 13 counterfeit Rolex watches and 12 pairs of designer brand sunglasses in Pittsburgh. If real, they would have been valued at about $573,000. (Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection) The CBP says the international trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal. It takes away money from the trademark holders and steals tax revenue from the government. The CBP also funds transnational criminal organizations, and the unregulated products can threaten the health and safety of American consumers. Counterfeiters make goods with "substandard" materials that could break or harm consumers, and the CBP said the products may be sourced or manufactured in facilities that use forced labor. "Unsuspecting consumers could be victimized twice by counterfeit products, such as these fake Rolex watches, because they may end up paying close to authentic prices for cheaper knockoffs, and they'll learn that the product isn't warrantied should it need repair," James Hindes, CBP's acting port director in Pittsburgh, said in a news release. "Customs and Border Protection urges you to protect your families by purchasing authentic consumer products from reputable retailers."
Fox News
11 hours ago
- Fox News
Traveler nabbed by CBP beagle at airport for carrying illicit food deported after kicking dog 'off the ground'
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection beagle is recovering after being kicked with such force he was lifted off the ground during a baggage inspection at Washington Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. The working dog, Freddy, suffered bruising but is expected to make a full recovery. "Thanks to everyone for their concern about Freddy who was injured while performing his duties at Dulles airport," CBP said in a statement posted on X Friday. "He was treated by his veterinarian, and is expected to make a full recovery. Here he is enjoying his favorite comfort treat – a Pup Cup!" The man accused of kicking Freddy, 70-year-old Egyptian national Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, pleaded guilty this week in federal court to harming a law enforcement animal. He was ordered removed from the U.S. and departed Thursday afternoon on a flight to Egypt, according to CBP. "Kick around and find out," CBP wrote in a repost of Fox News' Bill Melugin's post about the incident. The incident occurred Tuesday after Marie arrived at Dulles from Cairo. Freddy, a 5-year-old beagle assigned to CBP's agriculture detection team, alerted officers to one of Marie's suitcases. As a CBP officer began questioning him, Marie "violently kicked Freddie with sufficient force to lift the 25-pound beagle off the ground," the agency said. Officers immediately restrained Marie and turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents. A veterinarian later determined Freddie sustained contusions to his right rib area. Marie pleaded guilty Wednesday during an appearance in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to violating a law that prohibits harming animals used in law enforcement. He was credited with time served, ordered to pay the veterinary bill and directed to report to CBP for removal. CBP officials said the dog was simply doing his job. "Being caught deliberately smuggling well over one hundred pounds of undeclared and prohibited agriculture products does not give one permission to violently assault a defenseless Customs and Border Protection beagle," said Christine Waugh, CBP's area port director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. A search of Marie's luggage revealed 55 pounds of beef; 44 pounds of rice; 15 pounds of vegetables, including eggplant, cucumbers and bell peppers; two pounds of corn seeds; and a pound of herbs. All were seized as prohibited agricultural imports. CBP agriculture specialists and detection canines play a key role in protecting U.S. agriculture from pests, diseases and contaminants. On a typical day last year, CBP said its teams intercepted more than 3,500 prohibited plant and animal products at U.S. ports of entry. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case. CBP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for further comment.
Washington Post
13 hours ago
- Washington Post
Man who kicked customs dog at Dulles ordered to leave U.S.
Freddie the Customs and Border Protection beagle spent Tuesday morning doing his typical work: patrolling the international baggage claim area at Washington Dulles International Airport for undeclared agricultural products. Then the morning took an unusual turn. After the dog alerted his handler that a piece of luggage from Cairo was suspicious, the duo approached the suitcase's owner, a 70-year-old man from Egypt.
New York Times
14 hours ago
- New York Times
Man Who Kicked Customs Dog Is Turned Away at D.C. Airport, U.S. Says
A man traveling on a tourist visa was arrested and kept from entering the United States this week after he was accused of kicking a trained detector dog at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., that had found more than 100 pounds of undeclared food in his luggage, the authorities said. The man, Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, a native of Egypt, was arrested at the airport on Tuesday and pleaded guilty a day later to a misdemeanor charge of harming animals used in law enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release. Mr. Marie, 70, was accused of kicking the agriculture detector dog, a 5-year-old beagle named Freddie, 'so hard that he was lifted off of the ground,' according to court records filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Mr. Marie was said to have reacted after the dog alerted its handler to possible contraband in a piece of luggage in the baggage-claim area, according to court records. A lawyer listed for Mr. Marie did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Customs and Border Protection said that a search of Mr. Marie's luggage found that he was carrying 55 pounds of beef, 44 pounds of rice, 15 pounds of eggplant, cucumbers, and bell peppers, two pounds of corn seeds and a pound of herbs. All the of items 'were prohibited from entering the United States and seized,' the agency said. According to court records, Freddie was taken to a veterinary emergency room after the kick. The customs agency said that the dog, who weighs 25 pounds, was found to have contusions to his right forward rib area. 'Being caught deliberately smuggling well over 100 pounds of undeclared and prohibited agriculture products does not give one permission to violently assault a defenseless Customs and Border Protection beagle,' Christine Waugh, the agency's director for the area port of Washington, D.C., said in the news release. Agriculture detector dogs play an important role in 'screening passengers and cargo to prevent the introduction of harmful plant pests and foreign animal disease,' Customs and Border Protection said, adding that plant diseases, invasive species and weeds 'have cost nations millions to billions of dollars in eradication measures and lost revenues.' Mr. Marie, who was traveling on a tourist visa and left the country on Thursday, was credited with time served on the misdemeanor charge, the agency said, and he was ordered to pay $840 in restitution as well as $125 in fines and fees.
