The Transportation Security Administration finds all sorts of objects hidden in strange luggage compartments all the time but even more so during the holidays when a large number of people are looking to travel.
In this instance, a Rhode Island man was arrested after TSA officers found disassembled gun parts hidden in peanut butter containers. According to TSA, the gun parts were wrapped in plastic and stashed inside two JIF peanut butter containers.
The traveler was arrested by Port Authority police at JFK Airport on December 23, 2022. The hidden gun parts were found in his checked luggage but clearly did not get past the security checkpoint.
Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, posted about the incident on Twitter. She said that the criminal is “guaranteed to get a lump of coal from Santa” because of his attempt.
TSA has recorded a record number of firearms found at airport security checkpoints throughout the country in 2022. With over 6,000 firearms detected in 2022, the agency said it is increasing the maximum civil penalty for a firearms violation to $14,950, which is determined on a case-by-case basis “based on the circumstances in each case.”
Source: https://twitter.com/TSA_Northeast/status/1606346907046932480