Florida traveler stuffed gun into a raw chicken and tried to bring it on the plane, TSA says
A prospective air traveler was roasted by the Transportation Security Administration on social media on Monday after officers with the federal agency said it caught the person trying to conceal a gun inside a raw chicken stashed in their carry-on luggage.
The weapon was flagged by TSA at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, where officers found it wrapped in what looked like thin paper packaging and hidden inside a raw chicken.
A post shared to the official TSA Instagram account on Monday included photos of the uncooked bird being examined in an airport security screening area and the gun once it was removed and unwrapped. Its caption leaned heavily into Thanksgiving-themed puns, starting with, "There's a personal fowl here..."
"The plot chickens as we barrel our way closer to Thanksgiving," a TSA spokesperson wrote. "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!" the caption continued, adding, "Feather you like it or not, there are rules for traveling with guns and ammunition."
Cuisine for a full Thanksgiving menu, including fresh meat and seafood, are permitted in carry-on luggage as long as travelers abide by federal packaging guidelines, which are available on the TSA website. However, people looking to travel with guns and ammunition are required to pack unloaded weapons in locked, hard-sided containers in their checked bags, and must declare those items at the airport ticket counter when they arrive for their flight.
The officers' discovery in Fort Lauderdale is among many bizarre finds by TSA officers at airports across the U.S. Last year a chainsaw was flagged in New Orleans and something the agency called a "meth burrito" was confiscated in Houston.