Originally Posted by
RadioGirl
Sure.
But this was TSA, not Customs; in fact, as far as I can tell, it was a domestic flight in the USA so Customs issues have no relevance.
TSA is tasked with enforcing security processes, not with customs or more general law enforcement such as searching for goods of "criminal origin."
Exactly. And even if it had been an international flight, such searching is done by CBP, not TSA.
TSA seems to think it's the FBI and CBP rolled into one, with absolutely no limits to its scope or powers of search. I've always thought that this is because the head of the agency is a former FBI manager who seems to regard the Constitution as a pesky piece of paper that he's able to joyously ignore at TSA, all in the name of "safety".
This whole money thing has always steamed me. I think if I were rich enough, I'd love to travel around with a wad of cash - say, $11,000 - just to piss off the rank and file TSOs who are always on the lookout for that big drug money catch.
Maybe we should all start putting wads of kids' play money in our carry-ons, and bags of talcum powder or non-dairy creamer powder. If everybody carried it, eventually they'd stop noticing it, just like stainless steel pens and 14" titanium knitting needles. Or the 36" steel locking cable I carry for my laptop.