By Kate Fowler
Internet Culture & Trends Reporter
The Transportation Security Administration has shared the baffling story of a passenger who attempted to get on a flight with $10,000 cash stuffed into a slow cooker.
TSA officers at Boston Logan airport expressed their confusion at the storage decision but the passenger was cleared to travel—though not before missing her flight.
The @TSA_NewEngland Twitter account posted a photo of the hidden money on Thursday, with the caption: "Early this morning TSA officers [at] Boston Logan discovered approximately $10k hidden inside a slow cooker.
"Not sure why the passenger decided to hide money in a slow cooker, but Massachusetts State Police eventually cleared the passenger and the money."
The photo shows wads of folded bills wedged into the interior of a large metal slow cooker, surrounded by wires.
International air passengers must notify U.S. Customs and Border Protection if they are entering or departing the United States with $10,000 or more in cash.
Passengers on internal flights are not subject to restrictions on the sum they can carry, but airport scanners are programmed to detect large amounts of money. Any wads of cash detected are passed to local law enforcement for further investigation.
Early this morning @TSA officers @BostonLogan discovered approximately $10k hidden inside a slow cooker. Not sure why the passenger decided to hide money in a slow cooker, but @MassStatePolice eventually cleared the passenger and the money. pic.twitter.com/7DbSJsKAsI
— TSA_NewEngland (@TSA_NewEngland) February 17, 2022
"The woman was going through passenger security screening with the slow cooker where our computed tomography (CT) scanners can easily detect bulk currency," TSA New England spokesperson Daniel Velez told Fox affiliate Boston 25.
The woman reportedly missed her flight because of the inspection, but was allowed to rebook her trip to LaGuardia airport in New York.
Velez, who runs the @TSA_NewEngland account, says officers often discover money that passengers have attempted to hide in their luggage. "It's mostly found in towels, shoes, briefcases," he told Boston 25. "Never seen it stashed in a slow cooker."
The TSA is no stranger to passengers trying to sneak bizarre items onto flights. Each year, it releases a top 10 "catches" list of the strangest objects found and confiscated by airport security workers.
In 2021, a chainsaw found at Louis Armstrong New Orleans airport was the No 1 "catch," followed by a wine bottle holder built to look like multiple revolvers at Sacramento airport.
A "well-worn, heavy-duty" cleaver found at Harrisburg airport in Pennsylvania also made it to the list, along with crystal meth hidden in a breakfast burrito at William P. Hobby airport in Texas.
It might not make the 2022 "catches" list, but the TSA is unlikely to recommend packing a slow cooker stuffed with money.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()})jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')}if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
