(The Center Square) – The Transportation Security Administration screened 858 million people last year and discovered guns, throwing knifes and methamphetamine stuffed inside crab boil, among other illegal items.
The agency’s “Top 10 Best Catches of 2023” also included an adult diaper filled with cannabis. The list also included firearms, a continuing problem for TSA officials.
The items were found at airports across the country as TSA officials screened more than 2 million passengers per day at some times. Two of the Top 10 were discovered at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Here’s the TSA “Top 10 Best Catches of 2023” in order:
10. Naruto throwing knives
Naruto throwing knives discovered in a carry-on bag at Boston Logan International Airport.
9. Replica rockets
Replica rockets discovered in checked luggage at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.
8. A knife hidden in bread
This knife was found hidden inside a loaf of keto bread Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
7. Meth hidden in crab boil powder (Yes, it was in New Orleans)
This bag of meth was found inside a container of crab boil seasoning powder Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
6. A 35mm projectile
This was discovered in a passenger’s bag at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The bomb squad collected this 35MM projectile.
5. Another knife, this time in a prosthetic
A knife hidden inside a prosthetic at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
4. A gun with 163 rounds of ammunition.
This firearm was discovered at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. It was fully loaded with 163 rounds of ammunition.
3. An improvised explosive device
TSA officers at Sacramento International Airport detected this IED CO2 cartridge a passenger tried to bring.
2. Cannabis hidden in an adult diaper
A TSA checkpoint scanner alarmed on a woman’s groin, resulted in a pat down. It turned out that the woman had stashed cannabis in her adult diaper to conceal it from TSA and from her traveling companion, her mom. She told officials that she didn’t want her mother to find out.
Cannabis found inside of an adult diaper discovered at LaGuardia Airport.
1. An inert IED hidden in an energy drink
This inert IED hidden in an energy drink can was discovered at Tulsa International Airport.
During 2023, TSA intercepted 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints. About 93% of the firearms were loaded. That beats the record of 6,542 firearms stopped at checkpoints in 2022 and represents the highest one-year total in TSA history.
“We are still seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s particularly concerning is the amount of them loaded, presenting an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “Firearms and ammunition are strictly prohibited in carry-on baggage. Passengers are only allowed to travel with an unloaded firearm, and only if they pack it properly in a locked, hard-sided case in their checked baggage and first declare it to the airline at the check-in counter.”
In 2023, TSA screened more than 858 million people, which indicates the agency intercepted 7.8 firearms per million passengers, a drop from 8.6 per million passengers in 2022.
