TSA officers at Dallas Love Field Airport found a pocketknife concealed inside a tube of toothpaste during a routine carry-on screening, according to an employee story on the Transportation Security Administration’s website.
What TSA says happened
TSA Officer Jazmine Kramer was screening a carry-on with an X-ray machine when she spotted what appeared to be a metal object near the toiletries and flagged the bag for a closer look, the agency write-up says. Security Training Instructor Wade Brown Jr. searched the toiletry bag, sent the items back through X-ray to pinpoint the object, then picked up a toothpaste tube that “did not feel right” and had tape near one end, according to TSA. A closer inspection revealed a pocketknife inside.
“Usually when people have prohibited items in their bags, it’s by accident,” Kramer said in the TSA account. “It’s not normally because they intentionally put something there thinking it will make it through.”
What officers say they learned
The married couple who owned the bag told officers their son had suggested concealing the knife in the toothpaste tube to try to get it through security, TSA said. “I was super surprised when they both said that,” Brown said in the agency’s write-up. “This was the first time at DAL I had ever seen someone intentionally hide an item inside something else in an attempt to get it through security.”
Outcome and takeaway
The couple voluntarily surrendered the pocketknife and were allowed to continue to their flight, according to TSA. Brown said the case underscored the value of teamwork: “If one officer sees something and another officer cannot locate it during the search, work together and communicate until you find it,” he said.
TSA Dallas Love Field Federal Security Director Amy Williams added, “A knife concealed inside a toothpaste tube is not something travelers typically encounter, but it is exactly the type of threat our officers are trained to identify and resolve.”
Similar case reported in Tampa
Fox News Digital previously reported that TSA officers at Tampa International Airport found a 4-inch, double-edged knife concealed inside a baseball bat-shaped flashlight that had been placed beneath the lining of a passenger’s carry-on. The outlet reported the passenger first said he didn’t know the item was in his luggage, then told authorities he had put it under the lining to save space; he was arrested and not allowed to travel, TSA said, according to Fox News Digital.
