Transportation Security Administration agents at a Florida airport uncovered a handgun stuffed inside a raw chicken packed in a checked bag.
Agents made the discovery at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Sept. 27, according to Sari Koshetz, a TSA spokesperson for the Gulf region. The traveler who packed the gun was reportedly traveling to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.
This week, the image was shared on TSA’s Instagram as a message to travelers about its firearm policy.
“We hate to break it to you here, but stuffing a firearm in your holiday bird for travel is just a baste of time,” TSA wrote in the post's caption. “This idea wasn’t even half-baked.”
“Feather you like it or not, there are rules for traveling with guns and ammunition. So, don’t wing it,” it concluded.
Koshetz told USA TODAY that a criminal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security over the gun in the luggage was ongoing.
Nestor Iglesias, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, told CNN that he could not offer any details about it.
According to TSA's website, unloaded firearms can only be transported in a locked, hard-sided container as checked baggage. The firearm must be declared to the airline.
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In a press release on Nov. 3, TSA shared that passengers have brought over 700 guns to TSA checkpoints in Florida airports throughout the past year.
"An accidental discharge could result in tragedy," the TSA's Koshetz said in a statement. "Every passenger bares the responsibility of knowing exactly where their gun is before entering the security checkpoint."
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