A passenger carrying human remains was caught at Tampa International Airport, Florida. Airport security caught him carrying illegal contraband, which he claimed he intended to use for rituals.
The man had declared only 10 cigars in his suitcase. However, his luggage had an assortment of bones and a human skull. He was additionally carrying prohibited plant species. The photos from the scene reveal he had hidden the bones in aluminum foil.
He wanted to use the bones for some cultural rituals. This creepy incident report comes right after a criminologist solved the Jack the Ripper case after identifying the 6th victim. Authorities did not disclose the rituals or cultural practices he mentioned during questioning.
🚬 FROM CIGARS TO BONES?! 💀
What started as a passenger declaring just 10 cigars at @FlyTPA turned bizarre. CBP Agriculture Specialists uncovered prohibited plants, undeclared cigars, and a foil-wrapped duffel bag containing what looked like human remains, including part of a… pic.twitter.com/yxFKtU5EQP
— Director of Field Operations Carlos C. Martel (@DFOFlorida) September 18, 2025
For now, it is unclear whether he will face criminal charges. The bones in aluminum foil were marked as a health risk. The bones were confiscated and removed from the scene.
Carlos C Martel, Director of Field Operations at the US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Miami/Tampa Field Office, posted on social media, “What started as a passenger declaring just 10 cigars at TPA turned bizarre. CBP Agriculture Specialists uncovered prohibited plants, undeclared cigars, and a foil-wrapped duffel bag containing what looked like human remains, including part of a skull.”
Martel added the bones were ‘seized and destroyed.’ Sarcastically, he added, “At CBP, we never know what baggage may hold, but smugglers should know we’ll always have a bone to pick.”
😳 SHOCKING DISCOVERY: A traveler at an airport in #Florida was accused of having what looked like human remains, including a part of a skull, inside their luggage. DETAILS: https://t.co/VPQxQZwEbK pic.twitter.com/h2yQyfzj4C
— KWTX News 10 (@kwtx) September 19, 2025
This incident is not the first one where human bones have been found in airport luggage. In 2020, a mother and her daughter were stopped at the airport when customs found a man’s remains in their suitcase.
They wanted to transport the man’s remains to Armenia. The 74 and 52-year-old women were traveling from Greece to Yerevan and caught at the Munich layover. However, no criminal charges were put on them, while a doctor, a customs official, and a prosecutor were summoned to the scene. In another incident, an airport employee discovered a deceased woman on the luggage conveyor belt.
