Good morning. This is an unusual question. I will be flying from GRU-EWR from a business meeting. A colleague has asked me to carry for him a car radio (not in original packaging, wrapped in plastic bubble wrap). He purchased it while in the States and discovered the radio does not fit in his vehicle. Shipping it back from Latin America will be expensive, so he asked me to take it back to the States and ship it for him.

I had not planned to check bags, so this will be in my carry-on. Will this raise a red flag in security at GRU? Further, when I check-in, part of the standard questions asked of each passenger is "Are you carrying something at the request of others?" I guess my answer to that question should be "yes." Will that also raise a red flag? I have never had to answer "yes" to that question. If I say "no," and the radio raises suspicion in security, will this make matters worse?

Thanks for any advice.

If you say you are transporting a package for someone else, they WILL assume you are carrying drugs/explosives, and that you don't know about it. If you take the package, be prepared to say it is YOURS, otherwise, don't take it. I have transported sensitiveness electronic equipment in this manner in the past, and was able to get it cleared, but they had to search it pretty thoroughly.

Good luck.

How well do you know him?

When you alluded to a strange package, I was thinking a shrunken head or something to that effect. A car stereo? No problem.

I travel with electronic equipment constantly, and very rarely does it even raise an eyebrow. I did get a bit of questioning flying into MVD with a driveshaft for a sailboat and 4 quarts of hydraulic fluid from the US, but the customs guy gave up after a I feigned a lack of Spanish for a few minutes.

It's easy to think that your friends or colleagues would never abuse your trust so much as to use you as an unwitting mule.

However, I know of a few people who have been duped this way - one of whom was caught. Close working relationships, it would seem, mean little.

If you check your bag, it will probably be the last time the radio is seen.

If you tell them you are carrying it for somebody else, they will probably disassemble it looking for explosives.

Not saying you should or should not do this, but if you do, the easiest way will be to just carry it through pretending it's yours, and be prepared to unwrap it at security. If it's brand new looking, a receipt may help when you get to customs, they may assume you are trying to smuggle it in.

That's another entire can of worms, if you have to deal with customs about it.

Didn't you ever see "Midnight Express"? NEVER transport any package for ANYONE, even someone you trust. Latin America huh?

Yeah, tell him to ship it, you are not a courier.

Ever watch Locked Up Abroad?

Thanks for the fast replies and sound advice. I do know this person very well and consider him a close friend as well as a colleague.

I am leaning towards declining to take this package. If it was in its original packaging and I had a receipt, I think it would be less suspicious. If I say it is mine and that I purchased it here, without a receipt or proper packaging, I can see the security official not believing my story.

Expensive for him..ok. More expensive for you should something go wrong, as in lawyers and legal bills and perhaps in a worst case scenario time spent in correctional facility.

Your friend should do what normal people do when they ship a product from one country to another...use a shipping, courier or mail service.

Please follow the thread to the Travel Safety/Security forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

You are putting your future at risk, is this someone you trust that much? If the answer is not "yes" don't do it. Shipping from Latin America to USA is not particularly expensive unless you need overnight delivery so that is not a credible reason.

The "standard question" is "did anybody you don't know ask you to carry a package for them". The answer to that is "no".

Oldest trick in the book. Stay away.

I gave the package back to him. He completely understood my concerns. Thanks, again, for the comments and advice!