US: Passenger confused when asked about human remains in luggage at airport

(Dan Tri) - Customs officers at Tampa International Airport, Florida (USA) discovered a passenger secretly carrying a human skull and bones wrapped in foil and hidden in his luggage.

Baggage check, which seemed like a normal procedure that took place every day at Tampa International Airport (Florida, USA), suddenly turned into a creepy situation.

On September 20, when airport customs officers opened a passenger's suitcase, they discovered what appeared to be human remains roughly wrapped in thin foil.

Initially, the passenger declared that he was carrying 10 cigars. However, upon inspection, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the airport discovered many other things.

Human skull and bones in the passenger's luggage (Photo: CBP).

Carlos Martel, director of operations for Tampa and Miami, said officers found a human skull and other bones wrapped in foil in a travel bag.

“When reporting to the authorities, the passengers were confused and said that these items were used for ritual purposes. However, due to the serious health risks, all the items were confiscated and destroyed,” Mr. Martel informed.

The image posted by Mr. Martel shows a portion of the skull and several small bone fragments wrapped in foil. "Smugglers should know that customs officers at the airport will take care of the problem at its source," the director of operations for Tampa and Miami stressed.

Passengers were confused when human remains were discovered in their luggage at the airport ( Video : Nbcnews).

In addition to the remains, authorities also discovered several prohibited plants and many undeclared cigars. The US Customs and Border Protection has not yet made any comments regarding the incident.

However, according to regulations posted on the official website of CBP, any passenger carrying human remains for the purpose of burial or cremation must present a death certificate and comply with the requirements of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In the case of carrying uncremated remains, passengers must ensure that the body is contained in a leak-proof box to avoid the risk of infection.

It is not yet clear whether the male passenger will be prosecuted for the above behavior. However, CBP continues to closely monitor to prevent similar violations from occurring.

It is considered quite rare for passengers to bring human remains onto a plane. These cases were all discovered by customs forces at the airport.

Previously, in December 2020, an elderly woman from Armenia (a country located in southwest Asia) was stopped at Munich airport (Germany) when customs officers discovered human remains in her luggage.

Scanners detected human skeletons in the elderly guest's suitcase (Photo: DW).

At the investigation agency, the old woman said that she and her 52-year-old daughter were on their way from Greece back to their homeland Armenia and transited in Munich (Germany).

According to the old woman's testimony, her husband died in 2008 and was buried in the city of Thessaloniki (Greece).

However, when the mother and son decided to return home, they brought his remains back to Armenia to bury. The remains were placed in a wooden box. When they went through the airport security scanner, customs officers discovered them.

The German Federal Police found that the transfer of remains was legal. The two guests presented all the valid documents and the prosecutor did not see any grounds for a criminal investigation. Therefore, the two guests were allowed to continue their journey back to their homeland with the remains of their loved ones carefully packed in boxes.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/my-khach-lung-tung-khi-bi-hoi-ve-bo-hai-cot-nguoi-trong-hanh-ly-o-san-bay-20250923130944171.htm