See some of the craziest items TSA has taken for breaking guidelines
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a pretty thankless job, if only because Karens & Kyles of the world scream at them because the airport lines are too long for their delicate constitutions. In addition to it being a thankless job, it can be a weird job as well. Mainly because people can try to get some weird things through the TSA guidelines, which they really shouldn’t try.
In fact, the TSA loves to reveal the Top 10 weirdest things that people tried to slip through their guidelines. While travel was low in 2020 due to COVID, it didn’t stop some people from trying to get some weird stuff past the TSA. We’re sharing some of our favorite weird, guideline breaking items that people tried to slip through the TSA.
Dead baby shark
It’s a general rule when traveling not to take your animals with you. It doesn’t work all the time. There are some well traveled dogs and cats out there, but we have to admit a dead baby shark is . . . odd. We’re going to go with “odd” here. This little guy was found at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Before you think that someone just had a corpse of a dead baby shark in their luggage, fear not.
The corpse was in a jar with a liquid chemical preservative. Here’s the kicker about the TSA guidelines. It was the liquid chemical preservative and not the baby shark corpse that got it confiscated by the TSA. So, honestly, if you’re going to smuggle a dead baby shark corpse? Wrap it up and hope it doesn’t rot over your clothes. Just don’t use chemical preservatives.
Non-negotiables
Appearing on the list of things that violates the TSA guidelines every year? It’s the non-negotiables: weapons, drugs, explosives. You get the picture here, right? TSA guidelines prohibit carrying any weapons like guns, knives, bludgeons, self-defense devices, and weapon replicas onto planes. This is why every cosplayer you know checks their luggage.
This year the TSA has nabbed an assault rifle, a slingshot (okay Dennis the Menance), and, in a very spy-like twist, knives hidden in a book. Why would you do a book dirty like that? Did you have to hollow it out to hide the knives? We have questions. Mainly, why would you do a book dirty like that, person who violated the TSA guidelines? Why?
Marijuana stashed in a shampoo bottle also made the list, and to that, we say that the shampoo bottle was empty. No one wants soap in their stash, you feel us? Also making the list was a grenade (uhhhhhh) and a “homemade solar panel device that had some explosive potential”. Now we’re all for clean energy, but we don’t want our solar energy to explode? It kind of goes against clean energy.
True love
At the top of this year’s list for TSA guidelines being broke is true love. Okay, not really, but this is pretty cute. Two canine TSA handlers at Newark Liberty International Airport “caught” each other and tied the knot with their Explosive Detective Canines looking on. Love is so beautiful sometimes, everyone. We’re feeling a little verklempt hearing that story.
In case you were curious, the dogs’ names are Obelix & Proto. We hope they know they are very good dogs and excellent best canines for their work partners. In an Instagram post, the TSA said, “The two canines not only detect explosives but also detect love when they see it.” Was this a 101 Dalmatians situation? Except set in the TSA? Cruella would probably break TSA guidelines – we’re not shocked.
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What’s the weirdest thing you heard that broke TSA guidelines? Let us know in the comments!
