Airport officials confiscate apparent human bones during Tampa bag check

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers last week discovered an international passenger attempting to smuggle what appeared to be human bones into the United States during a routine bag check at Tampa International Airport. CBP’s Miami-Tampa field operations director Carlos Martel shared photos of what appeared to be part of a skull and other small bones wrapped in aluminum foil.

The passenger initially claimed to be transporting just 10 cigars, but agriculture specialists found undeclared cigars, prohibited plants, and a duffel bag wrapped in foil with the bones inside, Martel wrote. The passenger told officials that the bones were to be used in rituals, he said. To eliminate a serious health risk, the bones were seized and destroyed, Martel added.

What happened to the passenger? It’s unclear whether the passenger was arrested or fined for attempting to smuggle in illegal items. WORLD reached out to CBP for more details and did not receive an immediate reply. 

Dig deeper: Read my report last month on airport agents confiscating over 60 pounds of rat and primate meat in Detroit.