A routine-looking coffee container became the focus of a suspected cocaine investigation at an Alaska airport on Nov. 11. Authorities said officers found nearly $28,000 worth of the drug in a passenger’s luggage.
Transportation Security Administration officers noticed a white, chalky substance during a secondary screening at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
The Anchorage Airport Interdiction Team arrived at about 6:55 a.m. and identified the bag’s owner as Walter Berry, 58, of Selawik. The substance weighed about 185 grams and tested positive for cocaine in a field test, the department said.
Officials estimated its street value at $27,750 in the communities of Kotzebue and Selawik. Berry was approached at the departure gate as he prepared to board a flight to Kotzebue. Selawik was his final destination, authorities said.
Investigators said Berry had possession of the luggage before it was checked. He was arrested and taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where he faces a charge of third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance.
The investigation is ongoing, with assistance from the Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team.
The discovery follows other unusual finds during airport screenings. At Watertown International Airport in New York, TSA officers reportedly spotted a spent M18 smoke grenade hidden inside an aerosol container in a passenger’s carry-on. The passenger said he had forgotten it was there; an explosives expert later determined it was not live.
At Tampa International Airport, an officer inspecting a carry-on found a four-inch double-edged knife concealed inside a flashlight shaped like a baseball bat.
Travelers should not try to bring prohibited items through airport security, said Keith Jeffries, a Florida-based security executive and former TSA federal security director at Los Angeles International Airport. “Do not try to test the system,” he said. “If you do, you will be caught.”
