Breakfast burrito catches TSA agent’s attention. An ingredient led to arrest in Texas

A breakfast burrito with an “unusual” lump caught the attention of a TSA agent in Texas, officials say.

The officer was conducting routine security checks of carry-on luggage April 2 at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston when something unidentified appeared on the X-ray screen, according to the the Transportation Security Administration.

When an officer asked for the burrito to be unwrapped, the traveler insisted it was only food, officials say. Again the officer asked for the burrito to be unwrapped.

The officer screened the burrito a second time, revealing what appeared to be black tape around a “large organic mass,” officials say.

Suspicious of the ingredients, the officers asked Houston police officers for assistance and they determined the lump was crystal meth, officials say.

“Although (transportation security officers) don’t actively screen for illicit drugs at airport security checkpoints, they are required to contact airport law enforcement when they come across suspected drugs in carry-on luggage or on a passenger,” the TSA said in a news release.

The traveler, who was not identified, was arrested, officials say.

This story was originally published April 16, 2021 at 1:37 PM.