For some reason, a passenger trying to fly to Haiti from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport decided that they would attempt to conceal a handgun in the cavity of a raw baking chicken inside their luggage.
Thankfully, security screening officers from the Transporation Security Administration (TSA) discovered the firearm which had been tightly wrapped in plastic and then placed inside the chicken.
Firearms are not permitted to be carried in hand luggage and must be stowed unloaded and locked inside a hard-sided container. Passengers must declare the firearm to the airline, and for international flights, additional checks must be made with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In this case, the unnamed female passenger had, quite clearly, failed to adhere to any of these rules and was barred from flying. She was also referred to CBP for potential prosecution.
Amazingly, the TSA took a light-hearted approach to dealing with the incident and some fowl jokes on the agency’s official Instagram page:
“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,” the TSA’s social media team wrote.
“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!”
“Feather you like it or not, there are rules for traveling with guns and ammunition. So, don’t wing it; roost over the proper packaging info through the link in our bio.”
Last week, the TSA revealed that its officers had detected more than 700 guns at Florida-area airport security checkpoints since the start of this year. The vast majority were loaded and had a round chambered.
TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz warned that most passengers found with a firearm in the carry-on baggage were arrested or issued notices to appear in court. In addition, the TSA has the power to impose a civil penalty of up to $13,910.
So far this year, 120 guns have been detected at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport, second only to Orlando where 129 firearms have been detected.
