Shotgun shell in man’s pants at airport wasn’t all he was hiding, TSA says. ‘Good catch’

A man hid a shotgun shell in his pants as he attempted to thwart Transportation Security Administration officers at the Philadelphia International Airport, officials said.

The out-of-place item inside the shell, TSA officers said in an Oct. 1 news release, led to the man’s arrest.

The traveler from Columbia County, Pennsylvania, set off the alarm when he went through a TSA checkpoint at the Philadelphia airport Sept. 30.

The ammo contained an illegal item — but not what you’d expect to find inside a shotgun shell.

“A closer inspection of the altered shotgun shell determined that the white powder that had been concealed inside of the shell was not an explosive,” TSA said in the news release. “Philadelphia police determined that the shell contained methamphetamine and arrested the man ... on a state charge.”

Ammunition and meth are not allowed to be brought through TSA checkpoints, officials said.

Gerardo Spero, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, called it “disappointing” to see a person trying to hide illegal items.

“We are not looking for drugs, but when we come across them, we alert law enforcement and let them handle the situation,” Spero said. “It was a good catch and a job well done by all involved, including our law enforcement partners.”

This story was originally published October 1, 2024 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Shotgun shell in man’s pants at airport wasn’t all he was hiding, TSA says. ‘Good catch’."