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Leave Your 'Vampire' Straws at Home Next Time You Fly

Man arrested at Logan Airport for trying to bring titanium smoothie-sipper/tire deflator in carry-on
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 29, 2023 11:30 AM CDT
Man's Plan to Bring 'Vampire' Straw on Plane Goes Awry
Pic of the confiscated item.   (Twitter/TSA New England)

On the Szabo Inc. website, a "Vampire" straw is sold for $85, promoted as a "unique" item made of titanium that "allows the user to drink effortlessly any thick shake or smoothie." It's also "long enough to drink from any long beverage can," Szabo boasts. One man who had this "custom-made item" in his carry-on should've brought a regular old straw instead, however, as he tried to board a flight from Boston to Chicago on Sunday out of Logan Airport. That's due to the second part of the item's description on the Szabo site, which reads, in part: "Designed for self defense, the Vampire straw is super tough and long enough to be used like a dagger; [its] chiseled tip is sharp enough to puncture most synthetic materials."

The site goes on to say that the item works as a great tire deflator, and that, "from a cup ... is very easy to deploy in reverse grip, and put into action almost instantly." It concludes: "This is one weapon you will actually use every day." Dan Velez, a spokesman for TSA New England, tells CNN that although the vampire straw is legal to carry in checked luggage in some states, Massachusetts isn't one of them—and so the man who tried to bring his through Logan, IDed by KLKN as 26-year-old Arman Achuthan Nair, not only had his Vampire straw confiscated by the Massachusetts State Police, but was also arrested. "These items are not allowed in passenger carry-on bags. A passenger found that out yesterday," Velez tweeted Monday, adding the hashtag #travelfail. Nair was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, per an MSP statement cited by CNN. (More TSA stories.)

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