In a shocking incident, security personnel discovered 17 bullets hidden inside a disposable baby diaper At LaGuardia Airport in New York on Wednesday, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The TSA stated that after the diaper set off an alarm in an X-ray machine at an airport security checkpoint, they removed the otherwise clean diaper from the passenger's carry-on luggage, as per a report in ABC News.
They added that the passenger, a man from Arkansas who was flying to Chicago, claimed that he did not know how the bullet-filled diaper ended up in his bag. Sometime later, he stated that his girlfriend put it there. Port Authority police cited him for illegal possession of the 9mm ammunition.
.@TSA officers removed 17 bullets that were artfully concealed inside this otherwise clean disposable diaper in a carry-on bag today at @LGAairport. Arkansas man needs a new bulletproof plan for packing his bag before heading to the airport for his next flight. pic.twitter.com/S41XPRydjA
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) December 20, 2023However, this is not the first such case to be reported. Airports all across the United States are experiencing similar issues. TSA agents discovered a.45-caliber pistol and six bullets in a pair of Nike shoes that were hidden in a checked suitcase at LaGuardia Airport last month. It is to be noted that weapons may be checked as luggage as long as they are kept in a sealed, hard-sided container.
Officers found a carry-on bag containing two boxes of ammunition (more than 100 bullets) and a loaded.22-caliber handgun in April. According to the TSA, the traveller stated he had been at a shooting range and had forgotten to take the gun and ammunition out before leaving for the airport. He remained under arrest.
In another case, 13 bullets that were concealed within a Mentos chewing gum packet inside a carry-on bag were discovered by security checkpoint agents in January 2021. According to the TSA, the rounds were packed in with gum pieces. The passenger claimed the bag belonged to his son. He was charged with unauthorised possession of ammunition, according to the agency.