Shotgun Shell Full Of Meth Found On Man At Philly Airport: TSA

PHILADELPHIA — A shotgun shell full of methamphetamine was found on a would-be traveler at the Philadelphia International Airport Monday.

According to TSA, officers were alerted to an Orangeville, Columbia County, man who tried to passed through a security checkpoint scanner.

The scanner alarmed on the man's groin area, authorities said.

The scanner identified a shotgun shell that officials said appeared to be tampered with, and when officers inspected it they found it was not loaded with a white powder.

That powder was not gunpowder or another explosive material; it was methamphetamine, TSA said.

Philadelphia Police arrested the man on a state charge.

Shotgun shells as well as any caliber of ammunition are prohibited from being carried through a security checkpoint, TSA said.

"Our focus is in ensuring that nobody attempts to bring explosives onto a flight," Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, said. "We use technology and the skills of our officers and explosives experts to help ensure that explosives do not get past our checkpoints. In this instance, our explosives experts conducted a test to determine what the mysterious white powdered substance was and fortunately it was determined not to be an explosive. It is disappointing to see individuals attempt to hide items on their person or among their carry-on items in an attempt to conceal them. We are not looking for drugs, but when we come across them, we alert law enforcement and let them handle the situation."