Passenger caught smuggling bullets through LaGuardia airport in baby diaper

Shweta Sharma
·2 min read
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A New York airport’s security officers uncovered 17 bullets hidden inside a baby diaper from a male passenger’s luggage.

A man from Arkansas was bound for Chicago’s Midway Airport from New York’s LaGuardia when he was stopped at the security check after his carry-on bag triggered the alarm in an X-ray machine, said the Transportation Security Administration.

Officers found the otherwise clean diaper filled with 9mm ammunition – a violation for unlawful possession as ammunition is prohibited in carry-on baggage and only allowed in checked-in ones.

TSA said that the passenger claimed that he was not aware of the bullet-loaded diaper in his bag and later said that his girlfriend may have put it there.

The Port Authority police issued a citation for unlawful possession of the 9mm ammunition on Wednesday, the TSA said.

Finding the bullets concealed in an unusual item, the TSA quipped: “Apparently this guy needs a bullet-proof plan for packing his carry-on bag before heading to the airport for his next flight”.

But it is not the first time the LaGuardia Airport authorities made the unusual discovery at the security check.

Around 17 bullets were inside the baby diaper (Transportation Security Administration)
Around 17 bullets were inside the baby diaper (Transportation Security Administration)

Last month, officers found a .45-caliber pistol and a magazine loaded with six bullets inside a pair of Nike sneakers in a checked bag at LaGuardia Airport.

In Jaunary, a man was arrested at John F Kennedy International Airport after airport security officers found a handgun dismantled and packed inside two jars of peanut butter.

In 2021, 13 bullets were found inside a container of Mentos chewing gum inside a carry-on bag. The bullets were mixed with pieces of gum, the TSA said, adding that the passenger claimed that the bag belonged to his son.

In April 2021, authorities at the Honolulu International Airport discovered a loaded .22-caliber pistol and two boxes of ammunition, totaling over 100 bullets, in a carry-on bag. The passenger asserted that he had visited a shooting range and unintentionally neglected to remove the firearm and ammunition before going to the airport.