A passenger at Indianapolis International Airport got himself into a sticky situation after hiding a “live” smoke grenade inside a peanut butter jar and stashing it in his luggage, according to TSA.
Security officials found “two live smoke grenades” — including one that was “jammed into a full jar of peanut butter” — inside the unnamed passenger’s checked bag after it was flagged for additional screening, TSA said in a press release last week. The agency warned that trying to hide a banned item “will only result in more severe consequences.”
“After all contents were removed from the bag, I thought, ‘Weren’t there two grenades in this bag?’ After additional inspection of all the contents in the bag, it became obvious the second grenade was in the peanut butter jar, so I was surprised,” TSA explosives specialist Michael Dunphy said in the release.
After he was called back to the airline’s ticketing desk, the passenger told officials his friend suggested he could smuggle grenades through security by hiding them in a jar of peanut butter, according to the agency.
The incident “didn’t impact” the airport’s operations thanks to officers’ “quick work,” TSA said.
“With the concealment method used, we had concern about the intentions and, as a result, quickly incorporated the airport police and airline station manager to ensure we approached the traveler in a cautious and safe manner,” Indiana TSA Federal Security Director Aaron Batt said in the release.
“The technology in place for checked baggage performed well and gave our officers a chance to review an image that resulted in the need for physical inspection of the targeted area highlighted by the equipment.”
It’s unclear whether the passenger involved is facing any penalties or charges related to the incident. The Independent has reached out to TSA requesting more information.
Dunphy said he’d never seen a passenger try to travel with live smoke grenades in his 18 years as a TSA explosives specialist.
“Usually, alarms turn out to be unusual items versus an actual threat, so this was my most memorable call over the last few years,” he said.
Carrying banned items onto planes “always has the potential for unintentionally causing harm,” even if the traveler doesn’t have any bad intentions, Batt warned. In this case, the plane’s pressurization could have caused the grenades to “accidentally release smoke filling the cabin and aircraft while in flight,” he explained.
“Our TSA officers see thousands of images daily with most instances resolved without deadly and dangerous items, but when that instance does occur, we need to be ready, and we demonstrated that vigilance and capability here,” Batt said.
This sticky situation in Indianapolis comes as TSA faces another food-related challenge: FIFA World Cup fans attempting to bring ranch dressing on planes. In recent weeks, social media has been abuzz with posts from international travelers describing how they fell in love with the uniquely American condiment while visiting the U.S. to watch their favorite teams play.
Thanks to this trend, TSA said it has seen an influx of travelers stashing the dressing in their carry-on luggage. That’s a problem because carry-ons can only have liquids in containers 3.4 ounces or smaller. Now, the agency is using social media to ask that travelers store their beloved ranch in their checked bags instead.
“OK please avoid chugging your ranch outside security the airlines will check it for you,” TSA wrote last month on social media.
