Even the kitchen sink: Snakes and other strange items found at TSA checkpoints

The Transportation Security Administration said it expects a grounds number of travelers astatine U.S. airports connected Sunday arsenic nan agency braces for what is projected to beryllium a crush astatine information checkpoints. More than 32 cardinal group are forecast to walk done TSA screening betwixt June 27 and July 8, according to nan agency, a 5.4% summation from nan aforesaid play past year. 

With that tidal activity of travelers, TSA officials besides expect to spot a higher measurement of banned items connected conveyor belts.

"We've seen thing from chainsaws connected carry-on baggage (and) we've seen larger powerfulness devices and saws," Michael Duretto, lawman national information head for Los Angeles International Airport, told CBS News elder proscription analogous Kris Van Cleave. "Recently, we saw a hobby rocket — but it was a ample rocket — that came to our checked baggage."

"You tin opportunity that group will effort to battalion nan room descend if they could," he added.

And try, they have, said Martin Garcia, a TSA serviceman successful Los Angeles, who told Van Cleave that he has really seen personification effort to transportation connected a room sink. Another passenger, Garcia recalled, attempted to bring cervid antlers connected board. 

Some different unusual items TSA agents person intercepted truthful acold this twelvemonth include:

• Throwing knives, specified arsenic those utilized by ninjas
• Samurai sword
• Machetes
• Bag of snakes
• Tasers
• Replica manus grenade
• Electric sander
• Fireworks

Bottles of h2o and firearms are nan astir often stopped items by TSA officials. TSA agents discovered a record 6,737 firearms at airdrome information checkpoints past twelvemonth — astir of them loaded. In nan first 4th of 2024, nan agency intercepted much than 1,500 firearms at airdrome checkpoints.

In a caller incident, Rep. Victoria Spartz, an Indiana Republican, received a citation for an unloaded handgun recovered successful her luggage astatine Dulles International Airport successful Virginia. Although it is ineligible for hose passengers to recreation pinch unloaded guns, nan weapons must beryllium locked successful a hard-sided lawsuit and declared to nan hose and placed successful nan passengers' checked baggage, according to nan TSA.

TSA doesn't confiscate firearms. When a weapon is detected astatine a checkpoint, nan TSA supplier has to telephone section rule enforcement to return possession of nan weapon. It is up to nan rule enforcement serviceman to apprehension aliases mention nan passenger, successful accordance to section law, but nan TSA tin enforce a civilian punishment of up to almost $15,000, according to nan agency. 

In:
• Los Angeles International Airport
• Transportation Security Administration
• Airlines