Story at a glance
- The list from the safety agency includes a puzzling collection of items.
- The list highlights another tumultuous year for the agency, as airports have dealt with issues associated with another year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- TSA also confiscated nearly 5,700 firearms at checkpoints in 2021, the highest number ever recorded in a single year since the agency’s inception.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Monday released its annual list of some of the most unusual items confiscated at airport security checkpoints in 2021.
The list from the safety agency includes a puzzling collection of items, ranging from a chainsaw flagged at a security checkpoint at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, to a breakfast burrito stuffed with methamphetamine that was snagged by security at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston in April.
“Because they [TSA] suspected there was an illegal substance concealed in the food, they notified the Houston Police Department (HOD), which responded to the security checkpoint. HPD determined that the lump was crystal meth,” the agency said.
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The list highlights another tumultuous year for the agency, as airports have dealt with issues associated with another year of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a sharp rise in coronavirus cases among employees. The number of travelers peaked in November, reaching the highest level since the start of the pandemic.
TSA also confiscated nearly 5,700 firearms at checkpoints in 2021, the highest number ever recorded in a single year since the agency’s inception.
It’s here! “TSA’s Top 10 Catches of 2021!” From bear spray to meth-rritos, our officers found some truly unusual items. They worked hard to keep travelers safe as they returned to the skies. What would you pick as your number one catch? Let us know! #TSATop10 pic.twitter.com/3o2zQs5IrC
— TSA (@TSA) January 10, 2022
Here’s the TSA’s top ten catches of 2021:
- Chainsaw (New Orleans International Airport)
- A wine holder shaped like a gun (Sacramento International Airport)
- Fireworks (Syracuse Hancock International)
- Machete (Reagan Washington National)
- Bear spray (Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport)
- A meat cleaver (Harrisburg International Airport)
- Gun belt buckle (Honolulu International Airport)
- Meth burrito (Hobby International Airport in Texas)
- Antique pistol (Newark International Airport)
- Bullets in deodorant (Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey)
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