FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WFLA) — Typically when you think of stuffing a bird, you’re thinking of bread filling, onions, and seasoning, but one particular chicken got some attention after authorities at a Florida airport found something “fowl” inside it.
Monday, the Transportation Security Administration posted on social media that its agents at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport found a gun smuggled inside a raw chicken.
Photos of the desecrated bird carcass showed a gun that was wrapped in a plastic bag and shoved inside it.
“We hate to beak it to you here, but stuffing a firearm in your holiday bird for travel is just a baste of time,” the TSA said. “This idea wasn’t even half-baked; it was raw, greasy, and obviously unsupervised.”
Both fresh and cooked meats are permitted to be in carry-on bags and checked luggage, according to TSA. The meats can be packed with ice or ice packs, but the ice or packs need to be solid – if they’re melted, they will not be allowed through.
If you’re planning your Thanksgiving travel, TSA says most of the day’s delicacies – like the turkey, stuffing, sides, and desserts – can be brought through security as well.
As for guns, unloaded firearms in locked, hard-sided containers can be transported as checked luggage only, according to TSA. Firearms and ammunition must be declared at the ticket counter.
TSA reported last week that passengers at airports in Florida alone have brought 700 guns to security checkpoints this year – 120 of those have been intercepted at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Nearly all of these firearms were loaded and most had ammunition in the chamber. Many of the passengers have been arrested or issued notices to appear in court. According to TSA, these passengers face a civil penalty that can reach $13,910.
The Fort Lauderdale airport was among those in which TSA intercepted the most guns in 2021 as well.