April 5th, 2013 by Lady Liberty | Posted in Other TSA News | No Comments
We all know what jackbooted thugs TSA agents can be. Between the gropings and stopping the insidious smuggling of toothpaste, peanut butter and more than 3 oz. of just about any liquid, it’s a wonder that they have time for anything else.
Every year, the TSA confiscates hundreds of thousands of items. Last year alone, over 880,000 items were confiscated or recovered after being left behind. Some of these items are dangerous, some are illegal, and some are just plain weird.
This is my Top 5 list of the weirdest items confiscated by the TSA.
Snakes (and Turtles) on a PlaneIn August 2011, TSA agents at Miami International Airport found 7 baby snakes and 3 turtles stashed inside a male passenger’s pants. While the turtles were kept corralled inside a pair of women’s stockings, I can only assume that the snakes were allowed to roam free inside the man’s drawers.
According to the TSA, the unfortunate critters were discovered imaging technology. U.S. Fish and Wildlife were called and took possession of the reptiles.
Can you imagine the look on the TSA agent’s face when they looked at the man’s imaging scan and saw a little baby Cthulu in his pants?
Go Ahead, Punk. Click My Bic!OK, I know that was bad. My apologies to Mr. Clint Eastwood.
In November 2012, TSA agents found an unloaded “pen pistol” in the carry-on bag of a passenger at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, PA. Apparently, the passenger claimed it was just a pen, but then later admitted that it was, indeed, a gun.
Steampunk Art or IED?This is probably the coolest item on this list.
In November 2012 (what was it about November last year?), this vaguely Steampunk looking wrist watch was discovered in a passenger’s carry-on and confiscated by TSA agents at Oakland International Airport (OAK).
TSA’s explosive detection team was called in and the watch was examined and eventually cleared, but law enforcement decided to go ahead and arrest the passenger anyway.
This is Really Going to Chafe…In November 2010, TSA agents at Denver International Airport got quite a surprise when a woman, after refusing a full-body scan, was subject to a pat-down. During the pat-down, the woman was found to be wearing a Victorian-era metal chastity belt.
The virtuous passenger refused to unlock the device and so was denied entry into the country.
“Dang, it must be pretty precious for her to lock it away like that,” Arl Humperdinck, a TSA official told Fox News.
1 Fish, 2 Fish, Suitcase of Taboo Fish In September 2011, TSA agents screening checked baggage at LAX discovered a passenger trying to smuggle live fish in his luggage.
After one of the passenger’s suitcases set off the explosives detection system alarm, further screening revealed FOUR hard-sided suitcases, lined with plastic and filled with water and live fish swimming around just as happy as you please.
Apparently, the passenger purchased the fish at a local pet store and wanted to bring them home with him. In all, over 240 fish of different types and sizes were discovered.
