TRAVELERS have been issued a major packing warning by the TSA after a woman’s bra sparked a security response.
Scanner alarms were triggered and the woman was detained as a result of her “sneaky” packing technique.
The TSA has issued a packing warning to travelers after a woman in Florida was detained when her bra triggered an alarm system (stock)[/caption]
The woman was found to have stuffed two live turtles into her bra in an attempt to get them through security unnoticed[/caption]
Agents were left shocked by what they found during the search.
Taking to social media, the TSA has begged people to “stop hiding animals in weird places and then trying to sneak them through airport security.”
They revealed that a woman from Florida had attempted to leave Miami International Airport when her bra set off security alarms.
She had stuffed a pair of turtles into her underwear to try to get them through the TSA checkpoint unnoticed.
“OK friends, please – and we cannot emphasize this enough – stop hiding animals in weird places on your body and then trying to sneak them through airport security,” the warning said.
“We want you to be able to travel with your pets, and you turtle-ly can, but please travel with them safely,” it added.
Unfortunately for the Florida woman, one of her turtles died and the second was handed over to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife.
They shared images of what appear to be two Common Musk turtles.
In one picture, both animals are wrapped up, one in a white bandage-like fabric, and the other in plastic wrap.
The second image showed one of the turtles walking around in a tub after it had been discovered and free from its wrapping.
Given the exasperated tone of the TSA warning, it is clear that such a shocking find is not that uncommon for airport security.
Earlier this year, in March, a man from Pennsylvania was detained after a concealed item was found in his groin area during a pat down at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
He too had put a live turtle in his underwear, hoping to get it past the security checkpoint unnoticed.
“We have seen travelers try to conceal knives and other weapons on their person, in their shoes and in their luggage, however I believe this is the first time we have come across someone who was concealing a live animal down the front of his pants,” Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey said at the time.
TSA Small Pet Adivce
Small pets are allowed through the checkpoint. Please check with your airline for their policy.
Please remove your pet from the carrying case and place the case through the X-ray machine.
You should maintain control of your pet with a leash and remember to remove the leash when carrying your pet through the metal detector.
Animal carriers will undergo a visual and/or physical inspection.
Source: TSA
Last summer a man was caught trying to smuggle 100 live snakes into China via his pants.
“Upon inspection, customs officers discovered that the pockets of the trousers the passenger was wearing were packed with six canvas drawstring bags and sealed with tape,” China’s customs agency said.
“Once opened, each bag was found to contain living snakes in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors.”
Also last year, a man attempting to leave Peru was found to have 320 tarantulas and 110 centipedes strapped to his body.
Meanwhile in 2023, a man from Taiwan was caught trying to leave Thailand with two otters and a prairie dog in his underwear.
A TSA post also went viral that year when they shared an image from an X-ray machine of a cat in a carry on bag at Norfolk Airport, Virginia.
In the most recent discovery, the TSA told travelers hoping to bring their pets along with them to reach out to their airline about its rules on pets.
“As far as TSA screening goes, small pets are allowed through our checkpoint but must be removed from any carriers and carried through the checkpoint (notice we said “carried” and not “hidden underneath your clothing”),” the post read.
The TSA urges those travelling with pets to check with the airline and following its own guidance on taking animals through security checkpoints (Stock)[/caption]
