TSA officers opened a coffee container at an Alaska airport, then found suspected cocaine worth $27,750 inside

A routine morning screening at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport took a turn when TSA officers uncovered nearly $28,000 worth of suspected cocaine hidden inside a coffee container. This strange discovery happened after officers spotted a white, chalky substance during a secondary check of a passenger bag.

As reported by FOX News, the Anchorage Airport Interdiction Team arrived on the scene at 6:55 AM to look into the matter. They quickly found that the luggage belonged to 58-year-old Walter Berry, a resident of Selawik, Alaska. 

Authorities reported that the substance weighed about 185 grams, which is a bit less than half a pound. A field test confirmed the white powder was cocaine. Officials estimated that the street value of these drugs would have been $27,750 dollars if they had made it to the northwestern Alaska communities of Kotzebue and Selawik. 

He is now facing third-degree misconduct

The timing of the arrest was just as tight as the security check. Officers contacted Berry right at his departure gate while he was getting ready to board a flight from Anchorage to Kotzebue. His final destination was meant to be Selawik. Investigators confirmed that Berry had the luggage in his possession before he checked it for his flight. 

Berry was taken into custody and brought to the Anchorage Correctional Complex. He is currently facing a charge of third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance. 

The investigation is not over yet. The Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team is assisting with the ongoing work to piece everything together. 

This incident in Alaska is just one example of the creative and often strange ways people attempt to smuggle illegal items past security checkpoints. A similar situation occurred at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where a passenger was arrested after TSA officers found a hidden cache of narcotics inside a modified Mac mini. 

During an X-ray scan, lead TSA officer Logan Stortz noticed the desktop computer had an unusual mass and wiring. He initially thought it might be a test from a security team, but he decided to trigger a bag check to be certain. Later on, a team found a suspected controlled substance, and following this, field testing confirmed the presence of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and ketamine.