TSA Finds Gun Parts and Bullets Hidden in Peanut Butter Jars at JFK Airport
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TSA officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport got a surprise when they found parts of a handgun inside jars of peanut butter just before the Christmas holiday.
Officers stopped a passenger traveling with the creamy condiment after the checked bag containing the food and hidden gun parts triggered an alarm, according to a statement from TSA.
After pulling the bag and doing a closer inspection, the TSA removed part of a disassembled .22 caliber handgun that had been "artfully concealed in what was packaged to look like two unopened jars of peanut butter," the TSA statement continued.
The parts had been wrapped in plastic and put into the center of the jars. The statement revealed that the gun's magazine was loaded with bullets.
RELATED: Handgun Found Stuffed Inside Raw Chicken at Florida Airport, TSA Says
TSA officials immediately notified the Port Authority Police, who confiscated the items, found the suspect in the terminal and arrested him.
"The gun parts were artfully concealed in two smooth creamy jars of peanut butter, but there was certainly nothing smooth about the way the man went about trying to smuggle his gun," said John Essig, TSA's Federal Security Director for JFK Airport, in a statement. "Our officers are good at their jobs and are focused on their mission — especially during the busy holiday travel period."
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The TSA also posted about the incident on their Instagram account, including plenty of puns along the way.
"You know our baggage screening officers at JFK airport weren't nuts about this jarring find," the caption began. "Everybody should know by now that packing your firearm, ammunition and gun parts in a jif isn't the way to go. There's no need to get yourself in a sticky situation, be smooth and always package your items properly."
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The caption continued: "You know we'd never skippy past sharing the rules. We've spread them on thick through the link in our bio."
"They'll help keep you out of a jam the next time you travel," the TSA added.
In November, the TSA found a gun hidden inside a raw chicken packed in a traveler's luggage in Florida.
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TSA announced on its Instagram page that TSA employees found the gun inside the raw bird at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The caption — which is full of chicken puns — reads:
"The plot chickens as we barrel our way closer to Thanksgiving. For us, it's a time to be thankful that our officers are always working around the cluck to keep you safe. Take for instance this 'hen you believe it?' find at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. We hate to beak it to you here, but stuffing a firearm in your holiday bird for travel is just a baste of time. This idea wasn't even half-baked; it was raw, greasy, and obviously unsupervised. The only roast happening here is this poor packing choice!"
