TSA officers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport discovered suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine and ketamine concealed inside an Apple Mac mini desktop computer during a routine security screening on Oct. 9. The unidentified passenger was arrested by Phoenix police after preliminary field-testing of the substances confirmed their presence.
Lead TSA Officer Logan Stortz initially flagged the item while screening the passenger's carry-on bag. Stortz noticed an unusual mass and wiring within the computer's X-ray image, which he initially suspected might be part of an internal TSA test. Upon closer inspection, however, the officers identified signs of tampering. Stortz stated that he was very surprised to learn the unusual image contained drugs rather than test equipment.
TSA Officer Isaiah Martinez Jr. conducted a secondary search of the carry-on and consulted with Stortz regarding the suspicious computer. Martinez said he noticed something was awry and immediately notified a supervisor. As the examination continued, a second screening revealed a mass beneath a concealed area of the device. An explosives specialist, Robert Rosas Perez II, then examined the computer and found plastic-wrapped material inside, including a crystallized substance and an orange pill-like item.
Perez halted all standard procedures once the concealed material was discovered. Law enforcement officers were called to the checkpoint, where field tests indicated the substances included suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine and ketamine. Supervisory TSA Officer Emily Price described the concealment method as unusual, noting that the drugs were hidden within the manipulated computer hardware.
Despite the specific nature of this incident, Perez noted that attempts to bring illegal or prohibited items through airport security may occur more frequently than the public realizes. He stated that passengers attempt to bring illicit, illegal, prohibited or suspected illegal items through security checkpoints every day. The agency's release clarified that its main duty at checkpoints is to identify threats to aviation safety, such as weapons and explosives, rather than to act as a drug enforcement body. When staff find suspected narcotics during screening, they alert local law enforcement.