Man Arrested at JFK Airport With Gun Parts Hidden Inside Peanut Butter Jars

A man trying to pass through security at one of New York’s airport found himself in a sticky situation this week.

TSA officials said a Rhode Island man was arrested Thursday at John F. Kennedy International Airport after trying to pass through security with the parts to a semi-automatic handgun.

Security officials discovered two jars of Jif peanut butter with .22 caliber gun parts stuffed inside. The gun’s magazine was allegedly loaded with bullets.

“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,” said John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for JFK Airport.

The man’s bag triggered an X-ray alarm at Terminal 8, prompting one of the officers on duty to inspect the traveler’s bag. TSA officials notified the Port Authority Police, who took the man into custody.

He’s now facing a civil penalty that carries a fine up to $15,000.