ā Travel troubleOctober 28, 2026
TSA says officers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport spotted something odd on an X-ray: a desktop computer in a carry-on bag. According to TSA, preliminary field tests on items hidden inside indicated fentanyl, methamphetamine and ketamine, and Phoenix police arrested the passenger.
The short version
Where: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport checkpoint
Carrier: Not stated in the coverage
What happened: Suspected drugs found hidden inside an Apple Mac mini, per TSA
Outcome: Passenger arrested by Phoenix police, per TSA
What the X-ray showed
According to a TSA release dated Oct. 9, 2026, and coverage of it by Fox News, TSA officer Logan Stortz noticed an anomaly on the X-ray image of a carry-on bag at the Phoenix Sky Harbor checkpoint. Outlets reported that Stortz said he first wondered whether it was an internal TSA test. A second screening, per the coverage, showed a mass beneath a concealed compartment in the device, an Apple Mac mini desktop computer, along with signs that it had been tampered with.
TSA says an explosives specialist, Robert Rosas Perez II, then examined the device and found items wrapped in plastic inside it. Preliminary field tests indicated fentanyl, methamphetamine and ketamine, according to the coverage. Those were preliminary results, not final lab findings. Phoenix police were called to the checkpoint and arrested the passenger, per TSA. TheTravel reported TSA officer Emily Price said: "The way this was concealed was unusual."
The legal side
The passenger has not been identified in the coverage reviewed, and no charging document or court record was available. TheTravel reported the passenger could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted; that figure is that outlet's statement and was not tied to a specific charge. No plea or response from the passenger was reported. An arrest is not a conviction.
What happens next
No charges, court dates or pleas were found in the coverage, so the next step is not known.
The suspected drugs were identified through preliminary field tests, according to TSA.
Charges are accusations, not findings of guilt.
TSA says the device was handed to Phoenix police along with the passenger. The coverage does not say what charges, if any, were filed.
Sources
TSA news release on the Phoenix Sky Harbor Mac mini find, Oct. 9, 2026 (as reported by outlets)
Fox News coverage of the TSA release, Oct. 12, 2026
TheTravel coverage of the TSA release
This story is based on the records and reports linked above. Charges, lawsuits, and other accusations are claims, not findings of guilt or liability, unless the story says a court has ruled.