I travel pretty extensively, flying around 35 round trips a year. I usually carry some dietary supplements with me in a tupperware container sealed in a ziploc bag. My wife has said on several occasions that that sure is a suspicious looking powder in my suitcase.
My suitcase has been opened numerous times by TSA personnel without any problems, but has anyone ever been detained based on TSA personnel finding drugs, or substances that look like drugs, in their suitcase? I’m not talking about customs agents, when I travel overseas I leave with a factory sealed container, and abandon it when I return.
As an ex TSA agent, I can say that most TSA agents are looking for weapons and IEDs. There are passenger screeners (that you will be dealing with) and there are luggage sreeners (ones who screen all checked luggage in the basements).
But if there is anything else that looks suspicious, you can and probably will be questioned about it. We have pulled people off the plane to come and explain what certain things in their bags were. Specially, one guy had a giant fish, uncleaned, unscaled wrapped in cellophane in his bag. We thought it was odd and could’ve been holding something inside it’s belly, so we pulled him and made him answer questions and threw the fish away.