2025 was a chaotic year for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which was among the agencies impacted by the longest U.S. government shutdown in history.
However, the year also stood out for the truly wild discoveries made by security screening officers at airports across the country.
The year began with a head-scratching discovery at San Francisco International Airport, where officers uncovered crystal meth hidden in wax candles.
“Whatever your methods are, we can all agree that this is not a very bright idea. To be crystal-clear, while we aren’t looking for your meth-od of madness, we are required to notify law enforcement for the discovery of illegal substances,” TSA joked in a January 24 post.
A few days later, a replica mortar was found in a checked bag at Idaho Falls Regional Airport.
Travelers also came up with some bizarre places to attempt to hide sharp objects and phones this year, including peanut butter jars, lotion bottles, coffee containers, bags of chips and cereal boxes.
TSA officers in Denver made a bold but perhaps unsurprising discovery in March when a passenger’s checked bag turned up a whopping 300 liquid-filled vape pens, 20 containers of marijuana wax and a quarter-pound bag of weed.
“To be blunt, don’t get baked by your bad decisions. Weed advise you to leave the ganja grounded at home before you take to the clouds,” the agency joked. “We’re not looking for your stash, but if it’s found, we’ve got to reefer the matter to law enforcement—it’s almost like a joint venture.”
March also saw one of the year’s most eye-popping discoveries when officers at Newark Liberty International Airport caught a man with a live turtle hidden in his pants.
After uncovering a gun in a stroller last year, TSA officers at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport busted a passenger traveling with a knife hidden inside a child’s booster seat.
Elsewhere in Texas, officers at George Bush International Airport found a camouflaged shotgun inside of a golf bag. The firearm was complete with a golf club headcover.
Meanwhile, officers at Miami International Airport discovered a handful of 64 hollow-point bullets buried in a tub of delicious strawberry Nesquik.
Another bizarre summer discovery by TSA officers included a knife found sewn into the lining of a purse at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
In August, a traveler at Washington’s Spokane International Airport attempted to fly with more than a dozne inert RPGs in their checked baggage.
“Yes…14…inert…rocket…grenades,” TSA said on Instagram “But our officers pressed pause on that attempt because this plan was un-launchable from the start.”
“Even if they’re fake or inert, realistic weapons like these can cause very real delays. It would lift our spirits if you could just leave them at home.”
If 2025 is any indication, TSA officers are in for a few new surprises in 2026.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
