TSA Intercepts Civil War Cannonballs Smuggled in Luggage at Alabama Airport

A Transportation Security Administration officer uncovered five stolen Civil War cannonballs concealed within a checked suitcase during routine screening procedures at Gulf Shores International Airport in Alabama on July 18. The discovery came when TSA Officer Justin Dupree observed an unusual opaque item on an X-ray monitor and subsequently opened the luggage to find the artifacts wrapped in paper towels.

“I had never seen anything quite this unique,” Dupree stated in an agency release. “I’ve seen inert grenades and training munitions but never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artifact-type situation.” The cannonballs, which ranged up to the size of grapefruits and weighed approximately as much as a shot put ball, contained no explosive materials or active components.

Law enforcement officials later identified the relics as property stolen from Fort Morgan, a historic installation that served significant roles in multiple military conflicts including the Civil War. Paint markings applied by fort staff confirmed the artifacts’ origins and Civil War-era provenance. Despite their historical value, cannonballs remain classified as prohibited artillery munitions aboard commercial aircraft.

A juvenile removed the cannonballs from a storage area at Fort Morgan and placed them in checked baggage belonging to the juvenile’s grandmother, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. The grandmother denied knowledge of the theft. Fort Morgan elected not to pursue charges, and the cannonballs were returned to the institution.