Metal briefcase with guns and ammunition that were packed in a metal suitcase and placed inside a larger piece of luggage. (TSA photo)
PITTSBURGH – An Ohio man was arrested by police on Friday, April 26, after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers intercepted three handguns and ammunition concealed inside a metal briefcase.
Each handgun was wrapped in aluminum foil using sticky tape and uncovered beneath a metal sheet inside the briefcase. The briefcase was contained inside a larger piece of checked luggage, which was tagged to San Juan, Puerto Rico, as its final destination.
TSA officers notified the Allegheny County Police who came to the TSA checked baggage room to take a closer look at the contents of the luggage. Police confiscated the briefcase and its contents. Among the items inside the breifcase were a 9mm handgun wrapped in foil with 47 bullets; a second 9 mm handgun wrapped in foil along with 23 bullets and an unloaded .40 caliber gun also wrapped in foil. In addition, there were three boxes of 9mm ammunition.
“I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to the TSA officers who were screening checked baggage and uncovered this attempt to smuggle guns and ammunition that had been artfully concealed inside the checked luggage,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “I also want to commend the Allegheny County Police for their swift action in seizing the case with the weapons and arresting the man. Travelers who fly out of our airport should feel reassured that TSA’s partnership with local law enforcement is critical in ensuring that our airport environment is secure and safe for passengers.”