The Transportation Security Administration’s recently released list of the “Top 10 Catches of 2022” at U.S. airports serves as a timely reminder to double-check your crutches, raw chickens, and peanut butter jars for drugs, grenades, or guns before passing through security.
Passengers are not permitted to bring any type of weapon, including replicas, into the cabin of a commercial plane, but firearms with the proper permits and packaging can be transported, according to the TSA.
Here are the top TSA finds in 2022.
ten. soiled cash on crutches
At El Paso International Airport, TSA agents discovered a pair of crutches stuffed with soiled money.
- Inactive grenade
On July 29, a hand grenade was discovered inside a carry-on bag at Milwaukee Mitchell Airport. After the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department’s bomb squad was called to the scene, the grenade was discovered to be inert.
Cattle Production
On September 14, three cattle prods were discovered stuffed inside a passenger’s carry-on guitar case at Dulles International Airport. According to a TSA spokesperson at the time, the passenger was allowed to repack them into a checked bag.
- Install a gun in a PlayStation
TSA agents discovered a handgun hidden inside a gutted PlayStation console on December 14 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Officer Theodosia White said she flagged the PlayStation after an X-ray revealed no mass of computer parts.
Sixth, drug scrunchies
According to a TSA video, drugs hidden inside hair scrunchies were discovered at Boise Airport. It was not immediately clear when the drugs were discovered.
- Laptop knife
On Nov. 15, a double-bladed knife was discovered hidden inside the casing of a laptop at Richmond International Airport in Virginia.
“Detecting artfully concealed weapons demonstrates our officers’ training and skill in ensuring that prohibited items that could cause harm are not carried onto flights,” said TSA Federal Security Director Robin Burke.
- firearm in a medical sling
In September, a man claimed that while going through security at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, he forgot to remove a loaded 9mm handgun from a medical sling.
- A gun made of peanut butter
On December 22, officers discovered disassembled parts of a handgun wrapped in plastic and an ammo-loaded magazine inside jars of peanut butter at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
- A gun hidden inside a chicken
TSA agents had an unwelcome early Thanksgiving feast on Nov. 7 when they discovered a handgun stuffed inside a raw whole chicken at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
- Fentanyl-laced candy
According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, TSA officers seized approximately 12,000 fentanyl pills from a suspect who had allegedly hidden them inside candy boxes and bags while passing through the Los Angeles International Airport.
