Traveller caught smuggling gun parts through JFK in peanut butter jars

A TSA officer removed two jars of peanut butter, each containing parts of a disassembled semi-automatic handgun artfully concealed inside. Photo / Transportation Security Administration

What was intended as a smooth ruse turned into a crunchy disaster at John F. Kennedy International Airport when TSA officers discovered gun parts concealed inside two jars of peanut butter.

The bag holding the peanut butter jars raised a literal alarm when it went through an x-ray unit in Terminal 8 of the New York airport in December.

After opening the bag, a TSA officer retrieved two tubs of Jif peanut butter, inside which a traveller had jammed plastic-wrapped parts of the .22 calibre gun, including a magazine full of bullets.

“The gun parts were artfully concealed in two smooth creamy jars of peanut butter, but there was certainly nothing smooth about the way the man went about trying to smuggle his gun,” said John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for JFK Airport.

“Our officers are good at their jobs and are focused on their mission—especially during the busy holiday travel period,” he added.

After discovering the concealed firearm parts, TSA officials notified the Port Authority Policy, who confiscated the items, located the traveller in the airport and arrested him.

Passengers flying through the US are allowed to pack firearms and firearm parts in their bags. However, they must hold a valid permit and store the gun correctly. Guns must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and declared at the airline check-in counter first.

An airline representative will then ensure the firearm is taken to the belly of the plane.

Fake or replica firearms are banned from carry-on bags and must be taken via checked luggage.

Attempting to bring an undeclared weapon onto a flight isn’t treated lightly in the US, with fines reaching tens of thousands of dollars.

The peanut butter gun smuggler reportedly faced a strict financial civil penalty that has a maximum cost of US$15,000.