The TSA found a knife hidden in an unexpected item. The knife, with a blade longer than eight inches was concealed inside an enchilada that was hidden inside a female passenger's carry-on bag at Sonoma Airport.
The Transportation Security Administration officer confiscated the weapon as it is a big violation of Federal Aviation weapons laws, KTVU reports.
"This item turned out to be an eight-and-a-half inch knife that was inside of a wrapped enchilada," explained TSA spokesman Nico Melendez during a phone interview. " The woman said she had made the enchilada over the weekend and she really didn't know how the knife got into the bag."
The woman with the weapon was supposed to board an Alaska Airlines flight, but she was first turned over the Sheriff's Deputies. She was then questioned and eventually she was cleared to fly. The woman could have faced a hefty fine if the TSA chose to do so. Fines for concealed weapons could top $10,000, but the TSA usually negotiates with the passenger, Melendez said. The TSA determined that the woman, who claims she didn't know how the knife got in her meal, wasn't a threat. The woman was not cited or arrested, but she could later face a civil penalty.
While hiding a knife in food or bringing one on board a plane in general is illegal, knives can still be brought on planes in checked baggage.
The TSA tried to pass new regulations that would allow certain knives to be brought on planes like small pocket knives, but after heavy backlash from those in the airline industry, the TSA decided to abort the change.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
