Bread knives and energy drinks with a bang: Here are the TSA’s most unusual finds

You’ve heard “the best thing since sliced bread?” This may be the worst thing done with sliced bread.

A passenger at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport attempted to board a plane the day before Thanksgiving with a knife hidden deep inside a loaf of bread. It was a crumby idea any way you slice it — some razor sharp Transportation Security Administration officer spotted the weapon and the passenger’s holiday plans were toast.

Remarkably, the “bread knife” ranked only eighth on TSA’s annual list of odd discoveries, or as they call it, “Top 10 Best Catches of 2023.”

Some of the other highlights: a bag of meth stuffed inside a container of crab boil seasoning powder in New Orleans; a 35 mm mortar shell located in a passenger’s bag by TSA agents in Charlotte; a knife hidden below a prosthetic leg at the Anchorage, Alaska, airport; and marijuana stuffed inside a diaper at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Topping the list was a find almost too obvious. TSA officers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, found an improvised explosive device hidden in a can of energy drink. The name of the drink was a giveaway: It’s called Bang.

“#1 was definitely a pour decision,” the TSA said in a video detailing the Top 10.

No laughing matter

While the TSA’s yearly list of top finds is always worth a chuckle, far less funny is the ongoing surge in passengers trying to sneak guns aboard airplanes.

For the second consecutive year, agents seized a record number of firearms at airport checkpoints — 6,737 of them in all, up from the previous record of 6,542 set in 2022. About 93% of the guns found last year were loaded.

The number of gun seizures has tripled over the past decade, from 2,212 in 2014 to last year’s more than 6,700.

“We are still seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s particularly concerning is the amount of them loaded, presenting an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in an announcement of last year’s figures.

The news is a little better locally, as passengers departing from O’Hare International Airport are bucking the trend. Last year, TSA agents at O’Hare found 72 firearms, down from 85 in 2022 and 91 in 2021. At Midway International Airport, however, officers uncovered a record 50 guns, up from 38 in 2022 and 42 in 2021.

The top five airports for gun seizures: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the nation’s busiest, led the way with 451. It was followed by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (378), George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (311), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (235) and Nashville International Airport (188).

Besides the potential for criminal prosecution by local authorities, a passenger caught trying to sneak a gun aboard a flight can be fined up to $15,000 by the TSA.

Helping veterans

Three members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office were honored by the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center this week for going above and beyond to help veterans in mental distress.

Deputy Francis Foy was recognized for his work in September, when he responded to the home of a veteran in crisis, according to the sheriff’s office. Foy immediately established a calm rapport with the veteran and facilitated him being transported to Lovell for medical and mental health care.

Senior leadership at Lovell credited Foy with likely saving the veteran’s life, officials said.

Telecommunicator Monika Reum and Deputy Christopher Orlando were honored for their efforts in October, when they teamed to help a veteran in mental distress. They’re credited with preventing a high-risk situation from escalating and getting the veteran transported to Lovell for treatment, the sheriff’s office reported.

“The incredible work done by telecommunicator Reum, Deputy Foy and Deputy Orlando truly highlights how deeply our team cares about those in crisis and our veterans,” Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.

More honors

DuPage County Sheriff’s Detective Jasen Beymer received the National Computer Forensics Institute’s Top Forensic Examiner Award this week.

Given by the U.S. Secret Service, the award recognizes the top law enforcement officers trained in digital forensic examination techniques through the institute. Beymer ranked 77th out of more than 3,800 examiners across the nation.

The sheriff’s office’s Digital Forensic Investigations Unit conducts hundreds of digital extractions and examinations of digital evidence for agencies both within and outside DuPage County.

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