<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dogcanyon:
I would be extremely reluctant to fly to a country like Singapore or Malaysia (which have a mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking) with unlocked bags. There have been reported instances of baggage handlers in an originating city putting drugs into unsuspecting passengers bags, then having their buddy baggage handlers remove them at the other end. Occasionally, the handler at the other end fails to pull the bag and remove the drugs before the bags are delivered to the passenger, then the passenger gets stopped by customs and accused of smuggling. This exact scenario happened to a Colmobian man traveling to Mexico last year, and it took him 3 months of legal wrangling to convince the authorities that the drugs were not his and release him. </font>
New frequent flyer strategy?
1. Search your own bags after retrieval and before passing through customs.
2. For those who need scissors to cut the plastic tie, consider carrying scissors or a small Swiss Army knife in a bag with an unlocked side pouch.