Peanut butter and jelly is a popular American combination, but a passenger traveling through Indianapolis International Airport (IND) tried to mix peanut butter with a live smoke grenade – not a great combination!
The traveler’s checked bag alarmed and was marked for additional screening. When a supervisory TSA officer and explosives specialist arrived on the scene, they found a little surprise that could have created quite the sticky situation at the airport and for the traveling public – two live smoke grenades, one of which the passenger jammed into a full jar of peanut butter.
“After all contents were removed from the bag, I thought, ‘Weren’t there two grenades in this bag?’” said Michael Dunphy, an 18-year TSA explosives specialist who previously spent more than two decades in the U.S. Navy as an explosive ordnance disposal tech. “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!”
Indianapolis Airport Authority Police were also called to the checked baggage area to assist, although fortunately, the live smoke grenades didn’t impact IND operations because of TSA’s quick work.
The supervisory TSA officer on the scene paged the passenger back to the airline ticket counter.
Smoke grenade and jar of peanut butter in checked baggage at IND.
Indiana TSA Federal Security Director Aaron Batt said when the IND team learned where the passenger was in the airport, they wanted to make sure there were no additional prohibited items.
“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,” said Batt. “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.”
The passenger said a friend told him he could get the smoke grenades through TSA (checked baggage screening) by placing them in a jar of peanut butter.
This was an especially big surprise for Dunphy, who had never seen live smoke grenades in a traveler’s bag, saying, “Usually, alarms turn out to be unusual items versus an actual threat, so this was my most memorable call over the last few years.”
Dunphy said the grenades were easy to identify but could have created a significant danger if TSA screeners failed to constantly be vigilant in looking for threats.
“It’s not what you don’t know that is going to hurt you; it’s what you do know and take for granted that may harm you one day as we all get complacent with what is familiar,” he said.
Dunphy and Batt credit Supervisory TSA Officer Anthony Vela and TSA checked baggage officers for stopping the threat.
“STSO Vela and the checked baggage officers did an excellent job identifying a possible threat, and they properly followed standard operating procedures,” noted Dunphy.
“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 added.
Batt reminds the traveling public that attempting to conceal a prohibited item will only result in more severe consequences.
“Although you may not have intentions for something to occur, carrying prohibited items always has the potential for unintentionally causing harm,” said Batt. “Imagine in this case had the pressurization caused the device to accidentally release smoke filling the cabin and aircraft while in flight.”
