'Why are you carrying 10 packages of stroopwafels to Rome?': 25+ Strange discoveries airport security workers found in suitcases

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Sep 12, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

Whatever the weirdest thing is you've brought with you through the TSA line, those security folks have seen weirder. 

When you're packing for a trip, it can be tempting to bring every little thing you think you'll need. Bringing a pair of pants you haven't worn in 5 years? Why not? How about an extra pair of headphones, or three pairs of undergarments per day? It's so tempting to just bring everything you can possibly fit in your suitcase, and you might make a few strange decisions along the way. 

TSA agents have seen it all: as airport security agents, they see everything that people try to smuggle in, either through x-rays or by manually inspecting suitcases. The rules change all the time, too. You used to have to take off your shoes and send that through the x-ray scanner, and put all your electronics in the bin, and now they just don't care about these things. It seems to vary greatly from airport to airport, and even from agent to agent. At least you've never tried to smuggle some of these things in, as you can read about below. 

After that, this person was sick of cell phone store managers trying to upsell them, but as they explained, "What they don't expect is that my wife… knows their tactics." 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10402085632
    via Erik Odiin on Unsplash
  • 02
    People who work at airport security gates, what are some of the weirdest things you've seen in suitcase x-rays?
    via u/chronically-iconic
  • 03
    D Not the officer, but the person who was stopped LOL At one time security in AMS manually searched my carry-on and it had 10 packages of stroopwafels - they weigh 400g each, so that's half of my "allowance" worth of stroopwafels
    via u/Duochan_Maxwell
  • 04
    It being a one-night trip, my carry-on was virtually empty, except for a change. of clothes and toiletry kit The conversation went like Officer: Where are you flying to? Me: Rome, Italy Officer: And why are you carrying 10 packages of stroopwafels to Rome?
    via u/Duochan_Maxwell
  • 05
    Me: I'm going to a workshop with 100 participants, and each moderator was challenged to bring something from their country. Well, can't go wrong with stroopwafels Officer: Oh, ok. Have a good flight
    via u/Duochan_Maxwell
  • 06
    TheGreatButz Not working at an airport but I once saw an elderly woman changing her luggage and her suitcase was full of tin cans. Not the expensive stuff, not at all. Things like cheap conserved peach and pineapple. It was mysterious.
    via u/TheGreatButz
  • 07
    doctorfishie I visited friends in Virginia from Texas an brought a frozen 5lb brisket in my carryon. It definitely got searched but once the Texas native security guys saw what it was they were like "well, yeah, you gotta bring a brisket".
    via u/doctorfishie
  • 08
    fatamorganaver... My carry on was searched and the officer pulled out 5 books on money laundering. It was interesting to watch his expression change as he was doing that. I did not offer an explanation and left him guessing.
    via u/fatamorganaverde
  • 09
    Some_Concert5... My daughter had an entire box of Scooby-snacks that must have looked weird going through the scanner because they sent her bag through twice and then hand searched it. She had to open the box and the inner bag. before they let her move on.
    via u/Some_Concert5392
  • 10
    It was kind of a weird day. A few months later I was traveling with a cpr mannequin and AED trainer and no one blinked an eye.
    via u/Some_Concert5392
  • 11
    elle-elle-tee Whenever I travel to the USA I always bring a backpack full of Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo back to Canada with me and boy, does the TSA love it every time.
    via u/elle-elle-tee
  • 12
    atropine_serval A weighted blanket made by my mother... I was in an airport in Australia and when putting my suitcase through the x-ray they thought I was smuggling d s as she'd used aquatic rocks as the weights, which all showed up very brightly on the x-ray and it looked suspicious as they were all sewn into the blanket.
    via u/atropine_serval
  • 13
    Plus I did have a lot of medication under it for actual health reasons. Anyway my boyfriend and I got taken into a room for questioning, our phones. removed and passwords taken and it all turned out fine after they examined it... Terrible way to start a holiday and I've never travelled with it again
    via u/atropine_serval
  • 14
    Hayjay10 Not a tsa agent, but it happened to me. Long story, but my dad was really into making contraptions to keep the squirrels in his backyard busy. I was at my local Walmart, I found this metal contraption that held a corncob for squirrels but was very, phallic looking. So
    via u/Hayjay10
  • 15
    I thought he would like it plus it was a dollar so I flew with it. On my flight to Florida I got stopped out of DenverX TSA pulled it out of my carry on and I had to explain it. They thought it was a cage. It was weird because I started "well it's for my Dad, he does weird with squirrels" because I was so anxious.
    via u/Hayjay10
  • 16
    ZeroDarkJoe I'm not airport security but right after I made it through security I overheard 2 TSA agents talking. TSA 1: I think Dave will take my shift Friday. TSA 2: Dave is suspended TSA 1: what? TSA 2: He let a guy with a circular saw through TSA 1: why? TSA 2: he said because there is no power
    via u/ZeroDarkJoe
  • 17
    outlets on the plane it was okay to bring on. He's suspended right now but I don't think he'll be back. I almost fell over and TSA 1 was laughing.
    via u/ZeroDarkJoe
  • 18
    GrandTheftAgate Went to the upper peninsula for a little rockhounding trip and got pulled aside at the Detroit airport for the rocks in my bags. Had 40 pounds of rocks from that trip dispersed between my bags. I told the lady that was searching my bag they're just rocks. She opened the plastic bag, looked confused then handed it back to me with no words.
    via u/GrandTheftAgate
  • 19
    winkt42 When I travel I always bring something unusual back in the carry-on. One time it was a vintage wooden tiki that took the entire interior of the bag. TSA gent was about the same vintage and smiled appreciatively when he opened the bag.
    via u/winkt42
  • 20
    Another time it was a couple of large dried pufferfish. TSA lady inspects, her gloved finger on it. She looks at me and says, both serious and forlorn, "am I going to die?"
    via u/winkt42
  • 21
    Expensive Insid... Took a flight from Switzerland Lady in front of me got asked if the officer could open her bag. She had 30+ lighters in her hand luggage, the kind of cliché ones with cows, mountains and a swiss flag on it.
    via u/Expensive_Inside27
  • 22
    They had to keep 29 and left her with only one, she seemed devastated. Those probably cost 5CHF/pce at the airport.
    via u/Expensive_Inside27
  • 23
    Muscs For some reason, loose nicotine mints often read as gun powder in the scanners and they give you a through search for that. One time went through actually covered in gun powder from shooting. In the rural area | was coming from, no big deal but when I flew from the big city, it was a whole other level of fear.
    via u/Muscs
  • 24
    [deleted] Had my luggage searched for "what looks like a handg ". It was my mini hair-dryer.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 25
    O I flew with some colleagues to a smaller airport, one of them was checked for half an hour for the metal reinforcement of her briefcase and the other one for using a sock as a phone case (and then checking really everything in her bag)
    via u/OptimaLine
  • 26
    CherryWonderf... one time i had 4 pounds of conecuh sausage and got pulled aside for that. the man searched each one and i explained you can't get it on the west so i had to bring some for my parents. he was super cool and didnt even know what it was
    via u/CherryWonderful420
  • 27
    Appropriate_Ra... I was flying to France and, I really don't know why, but in my hand luggage I took a giant crab bell. Think of those little bells you ding in a hotel lobby to get attention, but it's made to look like a crab, and it's huge. It was from TK maxx and I was taking it so when I served dinner I would have something to loudly ding.
    via u/Appropriate_Ratio_85
  • 28
    FormicaDinette33 I had something that looked weird and I didn't recognize it on the x ray. It was a box of chocolates.
    via u/FormicaDinette33
  • 29
    2manyteacups I have gotten stopped each and every time I've flown to England. I have an Irish first and last name. once I had some Nutella :/
    via u/2manyteacups
  • 30
    Unusual-Thing-... My wife was on an oral surgery course and had a synthetic jawbone in her carry-on. She was questioned over that which made her laugh although she did understand why she was pulled out of the line
    via u/Unusual-Thing-7149
  • 31
    Somerset76 I took my daughter and her best friend to Disneyland when they were 13. I advised them on proper airport behaviors and we set off. The friend had an insulated lunch bag I assumed was food. All she told me was her stepdad packed it. Tsa made her open it because something odd appeared. It turned out stepdad had
    via u/Somerset76
  • 32
    packed snacks on top of a block of AA batteries (no need for them) that laid on top of 3 separate disposable cameras. The cameras, also unnecessary since I had bought them a digital camera, were all wrapped in foil. The friend asked why it was suspicious, and was told 3 identical packages and batteries looked like a bomb. The friend said, they aren't identical! They are different colors!!
    via u/Somerset76
  • 33
    The tsa agent and I burst into belly laughter!
    via u/Somerset76
  • 34
    snotty54dragon While on vacation I bought my dog a kong like toy in the shape of a grenade because it cracked me up. Not thinking about it, I threw it in my carry-on and headed off to the airport. Security stopped me and asked if I had any glass in my suitcase. Cue me wracking my brain to remember everything in there and
    via u/snotty54dragon
  • 35
    mentioning there was an empty water bottle and knitting needles (allowable but sometimes flagged). The security guy told me which side of the suitcase it was on and I told him that side was just a box with dog toys. At that point I learned that specific rubber lights up like glass on the scanner.
    via u/snotty54dragon
  • 36
    Thankfully he was pretty chill and laughing as he told me at one point it wouldn't have been allowed through simply due to the shape.
    via u/snotty54dragon
  • 37
    geckos_are_wei... Agents once thought a container of homemade berry pie might be explosives. They laughed when they saw what it was. A different time I got questioned about a nail clipper (in with other toiletries) but nobody questioned my 6" lace tip (POINTY) metal knitting needles.
    via u/geckos_are_weirdos
  • 38
    Adventurous_Cl... Security flagged something in my bag during x-ray and searched it. It was dog's bone. Unbeknownst to me, she'd buried it in my bag while I was packing. It was so adorable and made me miss her so much. The TSA agents got a kick out of it too and apologized for having to throw it away.
    via u/Adventurous_Click178
  • 39
    Wuzzlehead My Wife's accordion stopped the show when it went through the x-ray scanner- bazillions of little metal parts and rods laid out in a peculiar way
    via u/Wuzzlehead
  • 40
    polarvortex17 I was carrying a set of instruments, 3 of them. The instruments were encased in 3 cylinders, each about a foot long, made of titanium and rated for 1000m depth. They were sensitive to drop/shock and hence, I negotiated with the airline staff to carry on.
    via u/polarvortex17
  • 41
    At the security they freaked out, a solid metal container with electronics inside, stored in a fancy case, fortunately no battery. They kept me for around 30 mins. Asking for what it is, who made it and all. As this was a very specific instrument, the manufacturer is not popular in general, only people working in my field of work know it.
    via u/polarvortex17
  • 42
    CWO_of_Coffee I check baggage my tools. for work everywhere I go and it gets searched nearly every single time. Sometimes I let the TSA slips pile up and eventually I or someone else tosses them. I also wrote "Hi TSA!" on the inside of the lid and every so often they'd write hi back.
    via u/CWO_of_Coffee

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