Exactly PHX, if the bag was locked you can only blame TSA, or customs agents as they also have xray screenings, but there's are more public. unless they take you in that little room they call "secondary". I've been there only once for baked goods brought back from Japan, but when they realized it was just baked goods and it didn't tick off the dog, they let me continue on.
Sadly you won't get a straight answer from either TSA or the airlines as one will push towards the other. Chalk this up to a lesson learned and do not carry valuables in your checked bag.
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