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A Rhode Island man was recently arrested after he was caught smuggling a disassembled gun through security in jars of peanut butter at JFK Airport. Reportedly, authorities found parts of a .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun wrapped in plastic and stuffed in two different jars of the spread. The same was found in the passenger’s baggage.
Furthermore, the officials claimed that the gun’s magazine was loaded with bullets, and the same was found as the baggage triggered an alarm in the X-ray unit in Terminal 8 of the airport. Talking about the same, John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for JFK Airport, said in a statement:
“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.”
Police and airport security staff claimed that the checks are usually much more rigid and rigorous during the holiday season.
The convicted Rhode Island man could face a penalty of up to $15,000 for carrying a weapon
After the cops were informed about the incident, the authorities confiscated his belongings and informed the police about the same. The man, currently arrested, will face trial for the same. If convicted, the man would have to pay around $15,000 as a civil penalty for carrying an undeclared arm.
Lisa Farbstein, the TSA spokesperson at JFK Airport, tweeted about the same and said:
“TSA officers at JFK Airport pulled disassembled gun parts that were concealed inside the plastic wrap and stashed inside two peanut butter jars from a Rhode Island man's checked bag yesterday. He was arrested by PANYNJ Police. He's also guaranteed to get a lump of coal from Santa.”
The authorities are yet to declare any other information about the passenger carrying the firearm. At the same time, it is unknown where the Rhode Island man was traveling or what the purpose of his carrying a weapon at JFK Airport was.
A similar incident of a Saudi Arabian man carrying over 50 rifles was reported from Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Amidst the holiday season, police reported many such notorious acts by civilians carrying undeclared arms and ammunition and later getting arrested for the same. In another case reported last week, a Saudi Arabian national, who was residing in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was arrested for carrying more than 50 rifle barrels from the US.
The report by the officials stated that he had been doing this since April of this year. The 30-year-old man, Abdulrahman Zalah, was arrested for sending the barrels to people living overseas. Furthermore, the police also reported that the barrels were for automatic and semi-automatic weapons and chambered in .50 caliber and smaller.
Authorities also claimed that Zalah does not have the mandatory government-issued export license that is needed for exporting or carrying commodities like firearms and firearm components under the Export Control Reform Act and the Export Administration Regulations.
The US laws also state that one can carry arms or guns in their checked-in baggage on the airplane. However, the same needs to be declared, and one should have the proper license and paperwork issued by the authorities.
