TSA confiscates turtle pair from Florida woman's bra: See photos
- A woman at Miami International Airport was caught attempting to smuggle two live turtles in her bra.
- This incident follows a similar one earlier this year where a man attempted to smuggle a turtle in his pants at Newark Liberty International Airport.
- The TSA advises passengers to check with their airlines regarding pet travel policies and to carry small pets through security checkpoints, not conceal them.
Transportation Security Administration officials in Florida were "shell-shocked" to discover a pair of turtles in a passenger's undergarments.
The woman, who was traveling out of Miami International Airport in April, was caught trying to sneak two turtles past the security checkpoint by stuffing them in her bra, the TSA said in a July 24 LinkedIn post.
TSA's advanced imaging technology alerted officers to a possible item hidden in the passenger's chest area, according to a statement from the agency.
The woman was taken aside for a private screening, during which two live turtles from an "alarming area" were discovered. Multiple agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, were called in to assist.
"OK friends, please - and we cannot emphasize this enough - stop hiding animals in weird places on your body and then trying to sneak them through airport security," the post says. "No, really."
One of the turtles that was stuffed in the woman's bra did not survive the ordeal, and the other was confiscated and turned over to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife.
As a result of this incident, the second one in the last few months, TSA reminded travelers that they "want you to be able to travel with your pets, and you turtle-ly can, but please travel with them safely."
"You can start by reaching out to your airline for their rules concerning pets on board flights," the agency said. "As far as TSA screening goes, small pets are allowed through our checkpoint but must be removed from any carriers and carried through the checkpoint (notice we said 'carried' and not 'hidden underneath your clothing ')."
TSA discovers, confiscates another contraband turtle
Earlier this year, TSA agents dealt with another case of turtle smuggling under clothes - this time in New Jersey.
The Pennsylvania man, who was not identified by name, attempted to sneak a live red-ear slider turtle in the crotch area of his pants at Newark Liberty International Airport on March 7.
The man was given a "pat-down" after tripping an alarm, where officers discovered he was hiding something in his groin area. When asked if he had anything hidden in his pants, the man retrieved a turtle wrapped in a blue towel from his trousers.
Port Authority Police questioned the man and later confiscated the turtle. The man missed his flight and was escorted out of the security checkpoint by law enforcement.
Contributing: Julia Gomez and Max Augugliaro, Paste BN