Men were caught trying to smuggle turtles who live through airport security at the front of his pants
A Pennsylvania man who tried to go through airport security was found to have hid turtles who lived in his pants when he tried to sneak into the plane, said the authorities.
The incident occurred last Friday at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey when a man from Pennsylvania was through a body scan in the security area when the alarm was triggered “in the groin area of the man,” according to a statement from the transportation security administration on Tuesday.
“A TSA officer manages flour in the man’s body area where the alarm was triggered and by doing that, decided that something was hidden in the groin area of the man,” said TSA official of the incident. “When asked if there was something hidden in his pants, the man, a resident of East Stroudsburg, Pa., Reached the front of his pants and issued a live turtle wrapped in a small blue towel.”
The turtles are estimated to be about five inches long and identified as a red ear slider turtle – one of the most popular types of pet turtles in the United States – by the man as soon as he was captured by airport security.
The turtle was hidden in travelers at Newark Liberty International Airport on March 7.
Tsa
“Port Authority Police questioned the man, taking ownership of turtles and indicating that they would contact the fish and US wildlife services and local animal controller officials,” TSA said.
The unnamed man missed his flight and escorted out of the examination post by the police.
Thomas Carter, TSA Federal Security Director for New Jersey, said that this was the first time he saw someone trying to smuggle live animals in the front in their pants when they tried to undergo security.
“I praise our officers who do pat-down in a very professional way in an effort to complete the alarm,” Carter said. “We have seen travelers trying to hide knives and other weapons to their people, in their position and in their trunk, but I believe this is the first time we found someone who hid lives in the front of his pants. We should know, the turtles were not harmed by the man’s actions.”
