FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS)
The Transportation Security Administration grilled a would-be air traveler on social media Monday after federal agency officials said they caught someone trying to hide a gun in raw chicken hidden in their carry-on luggage.
The weapon was flagged by the TSA at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. Officers found him wrapped in what appeared to be thin paper wrapping and hidden inside a raw chicken.
The post, shared on the TSA’s official Instagram account on Monday, included photos of a raw chicken being examined in an airport security screening area and a gun after it was removed and deployed. His caption leaned heavily on Thanksgiving-themed puns, starting with, “Here’s a personal bird…”
“Chickens of the lot as we approach Thanksgiving,” wrote a TSA spokesperson. “This is a time for us to say thank you for our officers always working to keep you safe. Take, for example, this “if you believe it?” find at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“We hate to break it to you here, but stuffing a firearm into your holiday travel bird is just a waste of time. This idea wasn’t even half-baked; it was raw, greasy and obviously unattended. The only roast going on here is bad packaging!” the caption continued, adding: “Whether you like the pen or not, there are rules for traveling with guns and ammo.”
Food for the full Thanksgiving menu, including fresh meat and seafood, is allowed in carry-on bags, provided travelers follow federal packing guidelines, which are available on the TSA website. However, people wishing to travel with guns and ammunition must pack unloaded guns in closed, hard-sided containers in checked bags. They must declare these items at the airport counter when they arrive for their flight.
The discovery by officers in Fort Lauderdale is among the many surprising discoveries made by TSA officers at airports across the United States. Last year, a chainsaw was flagged in New Orleans, and what the agency called “methamburite” was seized in Houston.
