We returned last week from the first in-person COSTHA (Council On Safe Transport of Hazardous Articles) Conference since it was interrupted by Covid in 2019. It was great to be back with our fellow dangerous goods professionals talking about all things hazardous. Discussions were held on topics such as counterfeit lithium batteries and the finer details of applying packing tape to UN-rated boxes.
After-hour dinner conversations reminded us that there is more to keeping us safe on an airplane other than the enforcement of hazmat regulations. The good folks at the TSA do their fair share, including confiscating some pretty crazy things! This last September, TSA Agents at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida seized a raw chicken with a handgun stuffed inside it, not a recipe we are familiar with! So, because we know you are curious, here are the other top 9 wildest items confiscated by the TSA in 2022:
- Soiled money stuffed into a pair of crutches. (Don’t ask!)
- An inert hand grenade in a carry-on bag at the Milwaukee airport.
- A cattle prod stuffed into a guitar case.
- A handgun inside a gutted PlayStation console.
- Drugs stuffed into hair scrunchies.
- A double-bladed knife hidden in a laptop.
- A 9mm gun hidden in an arm sling (oops, he forgot!).
- A disassembled handgun wrapped in plastic and hidden inside two jars of peanut butter (smooth, not crunchy!).
- Twelve thousand fentanyl tablets disguised in bags of Skittles and Whoppers.
So the next time you get upset about the TSA confiscating your 6 oz. tube of toothpaste, remember what they do to keep us safe.