A routine carry-on screening at a Texas airport turned into an unusual security incident when TSA officers discovered a pocketknife hidden inside a tube of toothpaste—and learned why travelers had concealed it there.
Transportation Security Administration officers at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) uncovered the knife during an X-ray inspection, according to an employee account published on the agency’s website.
TSA Officer Jazmine Kramer was screening the carry-on bag when she spotted what appeared to be a metal object near the toiletries. She flagged the luggage for a closer examination.
“Usually when people have prohibited items in their bags, it’s by accident,” Kramer said in the TSA account. “It’s not normally because they intentionally put something there thinking it will make it through.”
Wade Brown Jr., a security training instructor, searched the toiletry bag but could not immediately locate the object visible on the X-ray image.
Brown then sent the belongings through the screening machine a second time to pinpoint where the item was hidden.
He picked up the toothpaste tube and noticed that it felt unusual. According to TSA, he also saw tape wrapped near one end.
A closer inspection revealed the concealed pocketknife inside the tube.
Fox News Digital contacted TSA seeking comment and additional details.
The married couple who owned the carry-on told officers that their son had recommended hiding the knife inside the toothpaste tube in an effort to get it past airport security, TSA said.
“I was super surprised when they both said that,” Brown said. “This was the first time at DAL I had ever seen someone intentionally hide an item inside something else in an attempt to get it through security.”
The couple voluntarily surrendered the pocketknife to TSA officers.
They were subsequently permitted to continue to their flight, according to the agency.
Brown said the incident underscored the importance of communication among TSA officers when an object detected during an X-ray cannot immediately be found during a physical bag search.
“If one officer sees something and another officer cannot locate it during the search, work together and communicate until you find it,” he said.
Amy Williams, TSA’s Dallas Love Field federal security director, said screening officers must be ready to handle unexpected discoveries at airport checkpoints.
“A knife concealed inside a toothpaste tube is not something travelers typically encounter, but it is exactly the type of threat our officers are trained to identify and resolve,” Williams said.
The incident follows another unusual airport knife discovery previously reported by Fox News Digital, this time at Tampa International Airport.
TSA officers there found a 4-inch, double-edged knife hidden inside a flashlight shaped like a baseball bat. The flashlight had been placed beneath the lining of the passenger’s carry-on bag.
The passenger initially said he did not know the knife was in his luggage. He later told authorities that he had placed it beneath the suitcase lining to save space.
He was arrested and was not allowed to travel, TSA said.
